Paris 2024: Julien Alfred Storms to Victory in Women’s 100m, Richardson Second

• Julien Alfred became the new women's 100m Olympic champion after winning the race in staggering fashion on August 3
• Alfred set the second-fastest time in the world this year on her way to victory, beating pre-race favourite Sha'Carri Richardson
• It is the first time since 2004 that the winner of the women's 100m at an Olympic event has not come from Jamaica

Julien Alfred won the women's Olympic gold medal in the 100m to stun world champion Sha'Carri Richardson on Saturday evening.

The St.Lucian athlete clocked an amazing 10.72 seconds to finish ahead of Richardson, who had 10.87 seconds.

Alfred led the race from gun to tape with a dominant run, leaving the rest of the field in her wake to win the first medal of any kind for her country in the history of the games.

Read also

Tebogo gets back to the farm, shows his many cattle, after Olympic history

Richardson was the strong favourite heading into the are after winning the world title in remarkable fashion last year at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

She was slow off her blocks and failed to recover in time to beat Alfred, who opened a wide gap between them. Her compatriot Melissa Jefferson was third with a time of 10.92 seconds.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdraws from Paris 2024

Double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the semi-finals after an apparent hamstring injury. The Jamaican had earlier announced that the Paris Games would be her last Olympic appearance.

Alfred's victory is now the first time that the women's 100m title at the Olympics will go to a different country that is not Jamaica. The champion from Tokyo 2020, Elaine Thompson-Herah, did not qualify for this year's games after an injury-ridden spell.

Read also

Adama Traore fires back at Lisandro Martinez over his gym taunt

Usheoritse Itsekiri's journey to Paris 2024

Legit.ng earlier reported on the Nigerian electrical engineer chasing Olympic glory in Paris.

Usheoritse Itsekiri will compete in the men's 4 by 100m relay months after winning the Africa title in Accra, Ghana.

The Nigerian athletics team has been training in Germany in the build-up to the event.

Source: Legit.ng