Saint Lucian skips through the Parisian puddles to become her nation’s first ever Olympic champion
In a Paris deluge, it was Julien Alfred who reigned supreme as she became St Lucia’s first ever Olympic champion, storming to women’s 100m gold in a blistering 10.72 (0.1).
Her national record, the fourth-fastest ever at the Olympics and the eighth-fastest of all time, put her free and clear of world champion Sha’Carri Richardson (10.87) and Melissa Jefferson (10.92), the American duo unable to wrest control from Alfred who looked in total control from start to finish. Britain’s Daryll Neita finished an agonising fourth in 10.96.
As if the showpiece sprints don’t attract enough attention, controversy swirled around the Stade de France even before the semi-final stage had taken place.
Social media footage appeared to show Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce struggling to get into the warm-up venue, with reports suggesting it was due to regulations related to the route athletes need to take if they are not staying the in athletes’ village.
Richardson did eventually get to make her final preparations while Fraser-Pryce, the 2008 and 2012 champion, withdrew from the competition with what was believed to be a hamstring injury.
The Jamaican had been due to race in the same semi-final as Alfred and Richardson and, again, the St Lucian looked convincing when she won in 10.84 to Richardson’s 10.89. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith was unable to progress to the final, having finished fifth in the opening race with 11.10.
When the finalists took to their starting blocks, they did so in a heavy downpour but Alfred flew through the puddles. There was a huge reception for her in her home country after winning the world indoor 60m title in Glasgow earlier year. She can expect an even bigger one now.
“We all started somewhere, inspired by somebody, and I’m hoping to be the inspiration for a lot of the youth in St Lucia,” said the 23-year-old recently. Having improved so rapidly, after finishing fifth in last year’s World Championships 100m final, and with the 200m on the horizon, it seems there is plenty more to come.
Neita produced the best finish by a British female athlete in an Olympic sprint final for 64 years but she admitted: “I’m finding it hard to find words at the minute, literally speechless, so close to the medal, so close. I’m healthy and I have the 200m to contest.”
(Getty)
So, too, does the 2019 world champion Asher-Smith, one of…
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