All eyes were on Sha'Carri Richardson as she aimed to end the long American drought for Olympic women's 100 metres gold on Saturday - but it was Julien Alfred, from a small island of 180,000 people, who captivated the audience. The Saint Lucian sprinter put on a spectacular display to clinch the 100 metres final in a national record time of 10.72 seconds, outpacing world champion Richardson to claim silver and breaking Jamaica's recent dominance in the event. The fact that this was Saint Lucia's inaugural Olympic medal made the victory even more poignant.
"I feel privileged to be a representative for my country," Alfred shared with the press. "Not many people are familiar with Saint Lucia. Sometimes, I'm in an Uber and they ask me where I'm from... and they'll be like 'Where's Saint Lucia?'" There are numerous tales of underdogs at every Olympics, but perhaps few are as striking as Saint Lucia's against the United States - or Jamaica. Saint Lucia, an Eastern Caribbean island nation, had never before boasted an athlete on the Olympic podium, whereas Americans have secured well over 300 titles in athletics alone, leading the all-time medal count by a significant margin.
Alfred, 23, prepared herself by watching videos of the retired Jamaican legend Usain Bolt on Saturday morning, and by evening, she had propelled herself into her nation's hall of fame. "(I was) hoping that they could achieve their first Olympic medal and it materialized as a goal, so I'm sure they're celebrating right now," said Alfred, who grew up running barefoot in a country with inadequate track facilities. "It feels incredible, to be honest."
Alfred is also set to compete in the 200 metres in Paris, with the preliminary rounds scheduled for Sunday.
