St Lucia’s Julien Alfred Thanks Jamaica After Winning 100M Olympic Race
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Julien Alfred, of Saint Lucia, center, crosses the finish line ahead of Sha'carri Richardson, of the United States, left, and Melissa Jefferson, of the United States, to win the women's 100 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Alfred’s sprinting career began when she participated in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championship
Paris, France – St Lucia’s Julien Alfred has thanked Jamaica for giving her a platform to succeed in sprinting. This statement came after she won the women’s 100m race in the ongoing Olympic Games.
She is the first ever St Lucian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. She won the race with an impressive time of 10.72 seconds. Her dominant performance ensured that she finished ahead of favorite Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson finished second with a time of 10.87 seconds. The third position was taken by Melissa Jefferson; another American who finished with a time of 10.92.
Richardson came into this competition as a favorite because of his world-leading time of 10.71s. This is why Alfred’s performance was so impressive. Both Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were forced to withdraw from this race.
Alfred’s sprinting career began when she participated in the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championship. She competed in this event during her time in St Catherine High School. She left Jamaica after getting a scholarship to the University of Texas.
Alfred said that she wouldn’t be on top of the world if she didn’t begin her career in Jamaica. This isn’t surprising because the Jamaican system has produced legendary athletes like Osafa Powell and Veronica Campbell Brown.
She said that she learned how to claim her moment by watching old videos of Usain Bolt and Elaine Thompson-Herah. She claimed that these videos inspired her to make history in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Although she stopped Jamaica’s dominance, her victory ensured that the Caribbean continued to impress in short races. She is also hoping to win the 200m race.
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