Caribbean Julien Alfred Wins Olympic Gold in Women’s 100m

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sat. Aug. 3, 2024: Call her Olympic gold medalist. Caribbean sprinter Julien Alfred bested the much touted American runner,Sha’Carri Richardson moments ago today in the women’s 100-m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Alfred won in a time of 10.72 to Richardson’s 10.87. American Melissa Jefferson took bronze (10.92). For her home country of Saint Lucia, it’s the first Olympic medal of any kind. Alfred, 23, also set a new national record of 10.72 s. She is coached by Edrick Floreal, the man behind the rich athletic careers of athletes like Rhasidat Adeleke and Leo Neugebauer.

Alfred previously won the gold medal in the 60 metres at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. She was also a silver medalist in the 100 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is the joint North American indoor record holder for the 60 metres. She was the first woman in NCAA to break the seven-second barrier over the 60 m. Alfred is a three-time individual NCAA Division I champion.

Born in the south Castries community of Ciceron, Julien Alfred attended Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School in Saint Lucia from 2013 to 2015, and then moved to Jamaica at age 14 where she attended the St. Catherine High School from 2015 to 2018. She then pursued a bachelor’s degree in Youth & Community Studies at the University of Texas in the United States, balancing her academic and athletic commitments.

Alfred emerged as a Central American and Caribbean U15 champion in 2015. She was also recognized as Saint Lucia’s Junior Sportswoman of the Year in both 2015 and 2017. As a junior athlete, Alfred won the 100m title at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau, Bahamas. In 2018, she secured a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, finishing behind Nigeria’s Rosemary Chukwuma.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica had stunningly dropped out before Saturday’s semifinals – just one day after running the second-fastest time in the prelims.