Julien Alfred wins gold in Women’s 100M Final at Paris 2024 Olympics

Julien Alfred won gold at the Women’s 100M final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Saturday, finishing with a blazing performance. It’s the first Olympic Gold Medal in Saint Lucia history

Sha’Carri Richardson finished with a silver medal finish, while Melissa Jefferson earned bronze during the contest.

The field for the final consisted of Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia), Sha’Carri Richardson (USA), Tia Clayton (Jamaica), Daryll Neita (Great Britain), Melissa Jefferson (USA), Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith (Ivory Coast), Mijunga Kambundji (Switzerland) and Twanisha Terry (USA).

It was raining in Paris on the track at Stade de France.

Notably, Jamiaca’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price withdrew from her semifinal heat after posting the second-best time in the first round of races on Friday. She was looking (and expected) to medal in the event for the fifth-straight Olympics — something that had never been done before. Instead, she watched on as the rest of the field took to the track.

The final race was just as competitive as some of the semifinal rounds. Alfred and Richardson challenged each other in their respective semifinal heat with Alfred getting the better of the former LSU star by five hundredths of a second.

For Richardson, it’s the first Olympic medal of any kind in her career. The medal-winning performance completes a story of redemtion for the 24-year-old superstar. Richardson was originally supposed to make her Olympics debut in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo after finishing first in the United States Olympic Trials. Shortly thereafter, Richardson tested positive for THC. She was suspended four weeks and ruled ineligible to compete in Tokyo.

Track & Field action will continue through the final day of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Aug. 11.