Paris: Julien Alfred pulled off a stunning victory in the Stade de France, beating race favourite Sha’Carri Richardson to women’s 100m gold in 10.72 seconds and giving Saint Lucia its first Olympic medal in the history of the Games.
The women’s 100m has a new champion for the first time since Athens 2004 after Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce withdrew from the semifinal with an injury.
Alfred dedicated the win to her late father who died 11 years ago. “Most importantly, God, my coach, and lastly, my dad, who believed that I could do it. He passed away in 2013, and now he couldn’t get to see me on the biggest stage of my career. But he’ll always be so boastful of his daughter being an Olympian.”
The USA’s Richardson, the reigning world champion, claimed silver in 10.87 while her compatriot Melissa Jefferson took bronze in 10.92, representing the first time American runners have won two medals in the event since Atlanta 1996.
On the other hand, Fraser-Pryce, who was playing in her fifth and last Olympics, was amining to secure her fifth consecutive podium finish in the 100m at the Olympic Games, following her runner-up position to teammate Elaine Thompson-Herah in Tokyo three years prior.
The third-fastest woman in history, with a personal best of 10.60, Fraser-Pryce announced her retirement in February, 17 years after her debut on the global stage as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team at the 2007 World Championships.
–IANS