Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred stunned favourite Sha'Carri Richardson to win the Olympic women's 100m gold medal on Saturday, etching her name into history to claim the Caribbean nation's first ever medal at the Games.
Alfred -- who had never finished on the podium at a major outdoor championships prior to Saturday's final -- conjured a superb race to win in 10.72sec as the USA's Richardson took silver in 10.87sec and compatriot Melissa Jefferson won bronze in 10.92sec.
𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊 🔥
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) August 3, 2024
Julien Alfred has stunned the world and she is the Olympic Champion of the Women's 100m 🇱🇨
Sha'Carri Richardson comes in second and bags the Silver 🇺🇸#Paris2024 #CloserToYourChampions pic.twitter.com/zcuD9PgG2i
Richardson, the reigning world champion over 100m, had been hotly tipped to become the first American to win the coveted Olympic crown since Gail Devers in 1996.
But the 24-year-old Texan found herself outgunned by the powerfully built Alfred, who led from start to finish after exploding out of the blocks at a rainswept Stade de France.
Alfred's gold gave St. Lucia their first ever medal of any colour at an Olympics. The island nation only began competing at the Games in 1996.
It was an incredible performance by Alfred who had fired a warning shot across Richardson's bows in the semi-finals, finishing ahead of the American in 10.89sec.
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐭 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲! 🇱🇨
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) August 3, 2024
Julian Alfred dominated the field in the Women's 100m 😳🔥#Paris2024 #CloserToYourChampions pic.twitter.com/G105XM6WB4
The semi-final proved to be an ominous portent for Richardson, who was slow out of the blocks and never looked like reeling in Alfred who could even afford to ease up as she crossed the line to clinch gold.
Alfred was in tears of celebration after sealing a sensational win, running to ring the trackside victory bell before wrapping herself in her country's flag and embracing her American rivals.