JULIEN Alfred produced a sensational performance tonight to win the Paris 2024 Olympics women’s 100 metres final in a rain-soaked Stade de France and claim Saint Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Alfred, 23, made her usual quick start and never looked back, remaining clear in heavy rain to come home in a national record of 10.72 seconds.
World champion and race favourite United States of America’s Sha’Carri Richardson claimed silver in 10.87s, with her compatriot Melissa Jefferson bagging bronze in 10.92s.
The result meant the United States’ 28-year gold medal drought in the event goes on.
Gail Devers was their last winner in 1996 and Marion Jones was stripped of her 2000 Olympic gold for doping.
It also ended Jamaica’s chokehold on the women’s 100m after they won the last four Olympic golds and 10 of the 12 available medals.
With double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce unable to compete due to injury, Jamaica’s only finalist tonight was 19-year-old Tia Clayton, who was an impressive winner of her semi-final in 10.89 but managed only 11.04 in the final to finish seventh.
Meanwhile, Femke Bol produced an astonishing anchor leg to lead the Netherlands quartet to Olympic mixed 4x400m relay gold in Paris.
Bol, along with Eugene Omalla, Lieke Klaver and Isaya Klein Ikkink, clocked a European record of 3 minutes 07.43 seconds to clinch gold.
The United States took silver in 3:07.74, with Britain claiming bronze in a national record of 3:08.01.
There was more history-making tonight in Paris as Thea LaFond made history for her Caribbean island nation of Dominica by winning gold in the triple jump to claim the country’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts took silver and American Jasmine Moore won bronze.
LaFond made herself the woman to beat with her second attempt of 15.02 metres — a world best this year — and that proved impossible to beat, with rain also making conditions more difficult.
