‘Dad believed in me’, Julien Alfred

Newly crowned women’s 100m champion Julien Alfred tears up remembering late father after clinching St Lucia’s first Olympic medal; USA’s Richardson 2nd

On a rainy evening at the Stade de France, 23-year-old Julien Alfred from St Lucia romped through the puddles and past champion Sha’carri Richardson and the rest of the field, in 10.72 seconds to win the women’s 100m dash. She beat Richardson by 0.15 seconds—the biggest margin in the Olympic 100 since 2008—to bring home the first medal to the small eastern Caribbean island of St Lucia.

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St Lucia’s Julien Alfred (centre) during the 100m final on Saturday

Alfred’s victory completed a journey that included her father’s death in 2013 and a move to Jamaica as a teenager, alone, in hopes of training to become a great sprinter. “He believed I could do it,” Alfred said about her dad, crying. “He couldn’t get to see me on the biggest stage of my career.” Richardson was left with silver. Her training partner, Melissa Jefferson, finished third in 10.92 seconds.

Meanwhile, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the event before the semi-final, leaving all three Jamaicans who swept the podium at the Tokyo Games on the sideline for what, at one point, had been billed as the marquee race here.

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