On a rainy evening in August at the Stade de France, an unexpected twist unfolded in the women’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics. Despite all eyes being on the heavily favored Sha’Carri Richardson, it was a 23-year-old sprinter from St. Lucia who stole the show. This athlete’s exceptional training and performance not only turned the tables but also highlighted that the Olympic track meet was brimming with inspiring stories and top-tier talent.

Julien Alfred powered through the puddles and zipped past Sha’Carri Richardson and the rest of the field, clocking in at 10.72 seconds. She threw a major curveball at what was supposed to be one of the biggest stories in Paris, beating Richardson by 0.15 seconds—the biggest margin in the Olympic 100m since 2008. With this stunning win, Alfred made history by bringing St. Lucia its first Olympic medal of any color.

Sha’Carri Richardson ended up with silver, which, while shiny, wasn’t quite the triumph she’d hoped for after the challenges of the past three years. Her training partner, Melissa Jefferson, snagged third with a time of 10.92 seconds. However, Alfred wasn’t done yet; she clinched a silver medal in the women’s 200m just three days later. A big part of Alfred’s success in Paris came from her stellar training environment, where she trains alongside some of the world’s top sprinters, including two-time Olympic bronze medalist Dina Asher-Smith, rising star Rhasidat Adeleke from Ireland, and Jamaica’s Kevona Davis.

Alfred attributes her success to the high-quality, competitive environment she trains in. “Each training session is like really high quality, it’s very competitive,” she shared. “Just having a group with such high-quality world-class athletes, it really helps me to train at my best, and compete at my best.” The reduced number of races this season also played a pivotal role. “Having ‘less races’ was key,” she noted.

“Last year I had the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletics Association] season, I don’t have any trials. So I really just prepared for the Olympics. I think that has been the biggest difference compared to like other athletes, and last year.” This Gold Medal has now put a smile on Alfred’s face, and to round off her season in style, the British gymnast is eyeing another triumph. But at the same time, it did not take long for Sha’Carri Richardson to get her sweet revenge!

Sha’Carri Richardson puts the pedal to the metal

Sha’Carri Richardson triumphs over Julien Alfred, the Olympic winner, in the women’s 100m Zurich Diamond League. Apparently, Richardson raced to the finish line of the race in an overall time of 10.84 and left behind Alfred, who completed it in 10.88 seconds. British Dina Asher-Smith finished the race with a result of 10.89 seconds. In the first meeting between the two, since Alfred had recently collected gold in Paris, she was ready for Richardson.

Asher-Smith was initially leading the race, while the final dash belonged to both Richardson and Alfred. This win was important for Richardson, who was determined to get sweet revenge for her loss at the Olympics. Reflecting on the race, Richardson quipped, “This is probably the funniest race I’ve had all season.” She, however, has more events to compete in, such as the Diamond League final in Brussels, where she will be up against Dina Asher-Smith, Daryll Neita, and Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Cote d’Ivoire. It seems Richardson wants to end the season strongly.