Updated August 03, 2024 at 20:24 PM ET
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SAINT-DENIS, France — Julien Alfred won St. Lucia its first-ever Olympic Games medal. And not just any medal — gold — against the favorite in the 100-meter event.
Alfred, 23, outsprinted Team USA's Sha'Carri Richardson on Saturday night on a rainy track, accelerating toward the finish line. She posted a time of 10.72 seconds, making her the eighth fastest woman in history.
Alfred sat in shock with her feat, then ripped off her bib to hold up her name high, and rang the bell just as she’d watched her idol, sprinter Usain Bolt, do so many times.
“You don’t ever see me celebrate like that ever,” she said. “I’m just happy it happened in the biggest race of my career. I’m going to be honest. I watched Usain Bolt’s races this morning. I watched how he executed. I grew up watching him and I just enjoyed ringing the bell today.”
Trailing her, after a rough start out of the block, Richardson took silver with 10.87 seconds. Another American, Melissa Jefferson, earned bronze with a time of 10.92.
Shericka Jackson of Jamaica — who was thought to be Richardson's biggest challenge heading into the event — dropped out of the 100m to focus on the 200m, having suffered an apparent injury earlier this month.
Then, in a baffling twist less than two hours before Saturday’s final, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce posted a "did not start,” leaving a lane empty in the semi-finals. It's not yet clear why the Jamaican, who qualified for the semi-finals, was not able to compete.
Fraser-Pryce helped put Jamaican sprinting on the map, when 16 years ago she became the first Caribbean woman to win the 100-meter gold. She won back-to-back gold in Beijing and London, took bronze in Rio in 2016, and silver in Tokyo.
“It is difficult for me to find the words to describe the depth of my disappointment,” Fraser-Pryce said in a post on her Instagram account, without giving any details on the reason for her absence. “The support of my fans, my country, and the larger community has rooted me in immense gratitude that has sustained me throughout my career.”
But the focus on Richardson’s shot at redemption — the possibility of her winning the U.S. its first 100-meter gold since 1996 — downplayed the legitimate threat of Alfred, whose strength has been consistency. It's not the outcome Richardson, 24, wanted in her Olympic comeback story after a suspension took her out of the running for the Tokyo Games three years ago.
The American was banned from competing in Tokyo after testing positive for THC. She had attributed her marijuana use to the recent death of her mother and the pressures she was under to perform.
There were signs earlier in the day Saturday that Alfred could surpass Richardson. The American topped Alfred by 0.01 seconds in a qualifying round of the event, but then the St. Lucian turned in a faster semifinal time.
St. Lucia had its Olympics debut in 1996 in Atlanta, and the small island nation has sent at least two athletes to every Summer Games since then.
The office of St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip Pierre congratulated Alfred in a post on social media for bringing Olympic honors to the country.
“You're a world Champion Juju!” the post read.
Alfred said she’s barely been able to hold it together, feeling the weight of what it means to be the first in her country to bring home the historic medal.
“It means a lot to me, my coach, my country, which I’m sure is celebrating now,” she said.
After the race, Alfred said she hopes the attention on her feat will channel more resources to the sport.
“Growing up, I used to be on the field struggling, with no shoes, running barefoot, running in my school uniform, running all over the place," she said. "We barely have the right facilities. The stadium is not fixed. I hope this gold medal will help St. Lucia build a new stadium, to help the sport grow.”
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