MUCH LIKE THE rain that showered on the 100 final, Julien Alfred could not be stopped. The 23-year-old from St. Lucia by way of Austin, Texas, added lightning to the storm with an electrifying start, driving relentlessly to the line in 10.72, producing the biggest Olympic winning margin in this event since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the first Caribbean woman to win gold in 2008.
Alfred displayed that start in the first round with a 10.95 heat win, though others overshadowed her. Favored Sha’Carri Richardson won her heat in 10.94. The fastest performances came in the last heat, where Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith burned a 10.87 to stay ahead of 2-time champion Fraser-Pryce (10.92), running in her Olympic hurrah.
Saturday’s semis ran on a dry track. In the first, American Melissa Jefferson overcame a bad start to catch Ta Lou-Smith before the line, 10.99–11.01. In the second, Alfred served notice, her start leaving Richardson far behind. The American never hit the top gear that we saw at the Trials, and her 10.89 could not catch Alfred’s 10.84. Notably, lane 5 was vacant, Fraser-Pryce having abandoned her quest because of hamstring issues. Semi 3 saw Jamaican teen Tia Clayton storm to a 10.89 to dominate Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.97) and American TeeTee Terry (11.07).
The rains came with the final and might have shaken the confidence of some. Because of the overhanging roof of the stadium, not all lanes were affected equally. The inside lanes got much more water than the outer, an effect even more evident near the blocks. Alfred faced a wet start in lane 6; Richardson in 7 had much less water in the first 10m. In lane 9, Terry’s first 20m would be nearly dry.
No matter. At the start, Alfred exploded to an immediate lead. Richardson’s start was lethargic, her reaction time an abysmal 0.221. Jefferson got out well but by 30m Alfred had already built a margin. By halfway, that margin (5.96 to 6.07) looked invincible. Maybe if Richardson could summon her best form, she would have a chance. Maybe not; Alfred was just too powerful. Her 10.72 came running into a faint 0.1 wind.
Richardson struggled to get past Jefferson in the final steps. She earned silver in 10.87, with Jefferson getting bronze in 10.92. Neita would finish 4th in 10.96 with Terry at 10.97. Clayton, who had raced alongside Jefferson for most of the distance, faded badly to 11.04 in 7th. Ta Lou-Smith backed off before 50 and eased across in last, apparently hurt.
Said the champion, “It feels amazing. This morning, I wrote down ‘Julien, the Olympic champion,’ so just believing in myself and knowing I could do it is what really matters to me.”
She said that coach Edrick Floréal has her train in the rain sometimes to be ready for anything. Of the downpour she said, “It didn’t affect me whatsoever.”
Hers is the first medal whatsoever for St. Lucia. “I’m sure they’re celebrating right now.” Indeed, in Castries, the capital, they were already dancing in the streets.
Said 3rd-placer Jefferson, “I worked every single day for this moment.” Richardson did not speak to the press, and neither she nor training partner Jefferson attended the mandatory press conference.
WOMEN’S 100 RESULTS
FINAL (August 03; wind –0.1)
(temperature 70F/21C; humidity 76%)
1. Julien Alfred (StL) 10.72 NR (=8, x W) (5.96/4.76);
2. Sha’Carri Richardson (US) 10.87 (6.07/4.80);
3. Melissa Jefferson (US) 10.92 (6.07/4.85);
4. Daryll Neita (GB) 10.96 (6.07/4.89);
5. TeeTee Terry (US) 10.97 (6.10/4.87);
6. Mujinga Kambundji (Swi) 10.99 (6.07/4.92);
7. Tia Clayton (Jam) 11.04 (6.09/4.95);
8. Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (CI) 13.84 (6.24/7.60).
(lanes: 2. Kambundji; 3. Ta Lou-Smith; 4. Clayton; 5. Jefferson; 6. Alfred; 7. Richardson; 8. Neita; 9. Terry)
(reaction times: 0.135 Neita, 0.136 Kambundji, 0.143 Ta Lou-Smith, 0.144 Alfred & Jefferson, 0.160 Clayton, 0.167 Terry, 0.221 Richardson)
QUALIFYING (August 02):
I(0.0)–1. Natacha Ngoye (Con) 11.34; 2. Alessandra Gasparelli (SMa) 11.62; 3. Xenia Noreen Hiebert (Par) 11.77; 4. Valentina Meredova (Tkm) 12.01; 5. Samira Awal (Nig) 12.06 PR; 6. Silina Pha Aphay (Lao) 12.45; 7. Sydney Francisco (Pau) 13.15 PR; 8. Salam Bouha Ahamdy (Mau) 13.71 PR;… dnf—Lucia William (SSD).
II(0.0)–1. Thi Nhi Yen Tran (Vie) 11.81; 2. Halle Hazzard (Grn) 11.88; 3. Po-Ya Chang (Tai) 11.99; 4. Regine Tugade (Gum) 12.02; 5. Lika Kharchilava (Geo) 12.37; 6. Faiqa Riaz (Pak) 12.49 PR; 7. Mazoon Al-Alawi (Oma) 12.58; 8. Filomenaleonisa Iakopo (AmS) 12.78 NR; 9. Mariam Kareem (UAE) 13.26 PR.
III(1.1)–1. Gorete Semedo (STP) 11.44; 2. Guadalupe Torrez (Bol) 11.60; 3. Leonie Beu (PNG) 11.63 PR; 4. Maria Alejandra Carmona (Nic) 11.88; 5. Safiatou Acquaviva (Gui) 11.97; 6. Chloe David (Van) 12.44 PR; 7. Shahd Ashraf (Qat) 12.53 NR; 8. Alissar Alyoussef (Syr) 12.93 PR; 9. Kimia Yousufi (Afg) 13.42.
IV(0.2)–1. Zahria Allers-Liburd (StK) 11.73; 2. Asimenye Simwaka (Maw) 11.78; 3. Mariandre Chacón (Gua) 11.90; 4. Georgiana Sesay (SL) 11.99 PR; 5. Naomi Akakpo (Tog) 12.34 PR; 6. Marie Charlotte Gastaud (Mon) 12.41 PR; 7. Sefora Ada Eto (EqG) 13.63 PR; 8. Temalini Manatoa (Tuv) 14.04 PR; 9. Sharon Firisua (SOL) 14.31 PR.
HEATS (August 02)
I(0.1)–1. Richardson 10.94; 2. Patrizia van der Weken (Lux) 11.14; 3. Bree Masters (Aus) 11.26; 4. Jacqueline Madogo (Can) 11.27; 5. Lorène Dorcas Bazolo (Por) 11.38; 6. Tristan Evelyn (Bar) 11.55; 7. Tran 11.79; 8. Simwaka 11.91; 9. Thelma Davies (Lbr) 12.05.
II(-0.8)–1. Alfred 10.95; 2. Zoe Hobbs (NZ) 11.08; 3. Zaynab Dosso (Ita) 11.30; 4. Michelle-Lee Ahye (Tri) 11.33; 5. Yunisleidy García (Cub) 11.37; 6. Semedo 11.43; 7. Olivia Fotopoulou (Cyp) 11.50; 8. Destiny Smith-Barnett (Lbr) 11.99; 9. Sesay 12.15 PR.
III(1.5)–1. Neita 10.92; 2. Jefferson 10.96; 3. Boglárka Takács (Hun) 11.10 NR; 4. Karolína Maňasová (CzR) 11.11 PR; 5. Gemima Joseph (Fra) 11.13; 6. Ella Connolly (Aus) 11.29; 7. Magdalena Stefanowicz (Pol) 11.47; 8. Torrez 11.68; 9. Chang 11.88.
IV(1.2)–1. Audrey Leduc (Can) 10.95 NR; 2. Clayton 11.00; 3. Imani Lansiquot (GB) 11.10; 4. Maboundou Koné (CI) 11.17 =PR; 5. Julia Henriksson (Swe) 11.26; 6. Manqi Ge (Chn) 11.45; 7. Gasparelli 11.54 NR; 8. Vitoria Cristina Rosa (Bra) 12.02; 9. Acquaviva 12.07.
V(1.0)–1. Ewa Swoboda (Pol) 10.99; 2. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 11.01; 3. Rosemary Chukwuma (Ngr) 11.26; 4. Ana Carolina Azevedo (Bra) 11.32; 5. Géraldine Frey (Swi) 11.34; 6. Angela Tenorio (Ecu) 11.35; 7. Farzaneh Fasihi (Irn) 11.51; 8. Beu 11.73; 9. Chacón 12.06.
VI(-0.4)–1. Terry 11.15; 2. Shashalee Forbes (Jam) 11.19; 3. Leah Bertrand (Tri) 11.27; 4. Salomé Kora (Swi) 11.35; 5. Cecilia Tamayo (Mex) 11.39; 6. Viktória Forster (Svk) 11.44; 7. Lotta Kemppinen (Fin) 11.56; 8. Allers-Liburd 11.89; 9. Carmona 12.00.
VII(-0.2)–1. Gina Bass (Gam) 11.01; 2. Kambundji 11.05; 3. Delphine Nkansa (Bel) 11.20 =PR; 4. Poliníki Emmanouilídou (Gre) 11.25; 5. Rebekka Haase (Ger) 11.28; 6. Tima Seikeseye Godbless (Ngr) 11.33; 7. Shanti Veronica Pereira (SGP) 11.63; 8. Hazzard 11.70; 9. Hiebert 11.82.
VIII(0.8)–1. Ta Lou-Smith 10.87; 2. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jam) 10.92; 3. Gina Lückenkemper (Ger) 11.08; 4. Rani Rosius (Bel) 11.10 PR; 5. Gladymar Torres (PR) 11.12 NR; 6. Ngoye 11.36; 7. Joella Lloyd (Ant) 11.37; 8. Tugade (11.87; 9. Meredova 11.95.
SEMIS (August 03)
I(0.1)–1. Jefferson 10.99; 2. Ta Lou-Smith 11.01; 3. Kambundji 11.05; 4. Swoboda 11.08; 5. Asher-Smith 11.10; 6. Forbes 11.20; 7. Takács 11.26; 8. Rosius 11.29; 9. Dosso 11.34.
II(-0.1)–1. Alfred 10.84; 2. Richardson 10.89; 3. Bass 11.10; 4. van der Weken 11.13; 5. Lansiquot 11.21; 6. Torres 11.33; 7. Masters 11.34; 8. Chukwuma 11.39;… dnc—Fraser-Pryce.
III(0.2)–1. Clayton 10.89; 2. Neita 10.97; 3. Terry 11.07; 4. Lückenkemper 11.09; 5. Leduc 11.10; 6. Hobbs 11.13; 7. Nkansa 11.28; 8. Maňasová 11.35; 9. Bertrand 11.37.
