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Julien Alfred upset a quality field in the 100m Olympic finals but her glory was even sweeter after flowing down favorite Sha'Carri Richardson in Paris.
Paris Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred has revealed the whirlwind of emotions going through her mind after writing a piece of history in the French capital.
Heading into the finals, world champion Sha'Carri Richardson was favourite to win the title after she cruised to the 100m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, beating Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in a new championships record time of 10.65 seconds.
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07:00 - 24.12.2024
'When you finally cross...' - Julien Alfred on childhood Olympic ambitions and why early career setback never weighed her down
A litany of problems chronicled Julien Alfred's early life as an athlete but the Olympic 100m champion rose above adversity to the top of the world in Paris.
However, in a frenzied atmosphere at the Stade de France, Saint Lucia's finest, Alfred, seized her moment. The world indoor 60m champion ran the race of her life to beat Sha'Carri Richardson in a national record time of 10.72 seconds in the Games' blue riband event.
With her first global outdoor title, she not only delivered the first Olympic gold in St Lucia's history but also the island nation's first Games medal of any colour. An outpouring of emotion followed. Alfred had reached the pinnacle of her sport - but her father, who died in 2013, was not there to witness it.
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12:30 - 24.12.2024
'They’re my kryptonite' - Sha'Carri Richardson on how emotional intelligence had helped build career after navigating tortuous times
American Sha'Carri Richardson explains why psychological adjustment has helped mold her into the athlete she is today and she can only get better.
"Oh my God, I cried. I bawled my eyes out. Just seeing how far I've come but my dad not being there to see me accomplish it," she told the BBC. Sha’Carri Richardson settled for silver in a time of 10.87 and her US compatriot and training partner Melissa Jefferson completed the podium in 10.92.
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10:10 - 24.12.2024
'I'm everything that I know' - Sha'Carri Richardson praises family for being her 'safety net' on the global stage
Sha'Carri Richardson has revealed how friends and family became her pillar amidst testing times and how she rose from the failed drug test adversity to become a world beater.
Alfred's passion for athletics was diminished by the loss of her father, Julian, who would take her to training and constantly tell friends about how fast his daughter was.
Convinced to return to the sport after a break, Alfred hinted at the medals to come by winning Commonwealth Youth Games 100m gold in 2017 and Youth Olympic silver one year later.
She achieved her first international senior medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and, after finishing fourth over 200m and fifth over 100m at the 2023 World Championships, Alfred announced her Olympic credentials by winning world indoor 60m gold in March.
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