Sha’Carri Richardson’s comeback story hit a brick wall Saturday when Julien Alfred romped in the rain to the 100-meter title in 10.72 seconds to bring the first-ever Olympic medal to her island country of Saint Lucia.
Racing one lane to the left of Richardson, and with water from a fast-moving storm puddling on the purple track in the Stade de France, Alfred got off to a fantastic start, then powered through the rain and beat Richardson by .15 seconds.
“It means a lot to me. It means a lot to my coach. It means a lot to my country,” Alfred said. “I’m sure they’re celebrating right now.”
