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Following her comprehensive defeat of American Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m at the Paris Olympics, here is everything you need to know about Julien Alfred.
Julien Alfred is currently the woman in the spotlight following her stunning win at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 100m final on Saturday.
The St Lucian star comprehensibly silenced American world champion Sha’carri Richardson when she sprinted to the finish line to win gold in 10.72, a St Lucian national record.
Richardson and fellow American Melissa Jefferson clocked 10.87 and 10.92 for silver and bronze respectively as a new star was born.
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08:41 - 04.08.2024
Paris Olympics 2024: The prize money that awaits Julien Alfred for top finish in women's 100m race
World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, is awarding prize money for gold medalists in Paris.
Alfred is a relatively unknown runner who has come to prominence in 2024 following some impressive performances before the Olympics.
The 23-year-old honed her skills at the University of Texas where she competed from 2018 through 2023.
Her first two years as a college athlete were between 2021-22 and 2022-2023 seasons where she won the 100m and 4x100m events in the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships and the 60m and 200m at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships.
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22:49 - 03.08.2024
Paris Olympics 2024: Julien Alfred shakes off competition from Sha'Carri Richardson to win women's 100m title
Julien Alfred was off to a great start in the blocks and powered through to the finish line, taking the win in a national record time of 10.72.
After completing college, she got one over Richardson, beating her at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial in Szeekesfeheervaar, Hungary in the 100m, perhaps an early warning.
The American, however, showed her who is boss at the 2023 World Championships, winning the 100m as Alfred finished fifth, and managing third in 200m, while the St Lucian was fourth.
Alfred seems to have learnt from the disappointments and came into 2024 charged and ready to upset the formbook.
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23:04 - 03.08.2024
Paris 2024: St. Lucia goes wild in celebrations for Julien Alfred's stunning Olympic 100m gold medal
Julien Alfred unarguably cemented her name as the best female sprinter this season following her stunning Paris 2024 Olympic title over Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m final, which has her country in wild celebrations.
She laid down the marker by winning gold in the 60m dash at the World Indoor Championships in March, her country’s first ever medal at the competition, but would lose to Richardson in the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in May, when she finished second, just one-tenth of a second behind.
Alfred got her revenge on Saturday night as her good start, coupled with her long strides and good top-end speed, was too much for Richardson to get the bragging rights plus the title of the fastest woman in the world.
While she stunned Americans, Alfred owes her career to the US as she moved to Texas as a 16-year-old after leaving the St Lucian capital of Castries where she was born and raised.
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22:45 - 03.08.2024
Paris 2024 Olympics: The worrying reason Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulled out of the women's 100m semis
Fraser-Pryce was handed a DNS in the second semi-final of the women's 100m race at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic games.
She came to the US for college and competed for the Longhorns from 2018-2023. Over the course of her college career, she was an 11-time USTFCCCA All-America selection. After collecting her final NCAA championships, Alfred was named the 2022-23 Big 12 female athlete of the year, as per USA Today.
For a Caribbean Island nation of just 180,000 residents, Alfred is a treasure that will be celebrated for many years since she is the first ever Olympics medallist from the country that rarely produces world beating athletes.
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