Sha’carri Richardson faced the biggest upset in Paris as Julien Alfred of St. Lucia beat her in the 100m race.

Sha’carri Richardson and Julien Alfred (via AP/Paris 2024)

UPSET ALERT! For a Sha’Carri Richardson, hopeful of floating to victory in the 100m, came Julien Alfred in the form of a major speedbump. The American’s comeback dream was washed away by the Saint Lucia native who sped to the finish line in 10.72 seconds. This comes just hours after Richardson ran into a hurdle with the staff at the venue who played hardball by being reluctant to allow her into the venue to warmup as she did not arrive with the team bus.

Going into this race, Sha’carri Richardson‘s biggest rival was none other than Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. However, owing to unforeseen circumstances and a hamstring injury, she was forced to pull out of the race at the last moment. This meant that the path was clear for Richardson to complete her comeback and win the 100M for America, however, Alfred made sure that her aspirations of doing so remained just aspirations.

Julien Alfred was right next to Richardson when the race commenced. In a battle that was made more entertaining by continued rainfall in the Stade De France, Alfred got off to a strong start and maintained her lead as she beat Sha’Carri Richardson by a margin of 0.15 seconds. Finishing in third place was America’s Melissa Jefferson who clocked in at 10.92 seconds.
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Julien Alfred has brought the first-ever Olympic medal to the island nation of Saint Lucia

Heading into the 100m race on Saturday, Alfred had iterated that she would be honored to be the first to bring an Olympic medal to her Caribbean island of St. Lucia. “I’d love to be the first,” she had said. That is exactly what she went on to accomplish. The road to an Olympic victory has been rocky for Alfred. Her father passed away when she was 12 but she did not allow that to hamper her progress and continued to work towards her goal.

Julien Alfred (via The Telegraph)
Just five years later, she went on to win a silver in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 before she suffered yet another tragedy in the family. Her aunt Karen Alfred, a personality who played a pivotal role in her upbringing had passed away. With her victory in Paris, Alfred makes her aunt and father immensely proud.

Alfred is now the eighth fastest woman in history, her celebration after crossing the finish line was one of pure excitement and surprise. She knows one thing, that is everyone now knows her name! While it was a well-deserved victory for Julien Alfred and the island nation of Saint Lucia, it was a painful reality check for Sha’carri Richardson. She arrived in Paris as one of the favorites to win the gold. The 24-year-old was deemed to have the most potential and highest ceiling. However, that did not pan out well for her on the track.