SAINT-DENIS, France — Julien Alfred won St. Lucia its first-ever Olympic Games medal. This gold medal is particularly significant as Alfred achieved the Olympic gold. He triumphed over the favorite in the 100-meter event. #AlfredOlympicGold
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. #AlfredOlympicGold
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, and took bronze in Rio in 2016.
Clearly, the Alfred Olympic gold sets a new benchmark for excellence in track and field.
