Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia won the Olympic women's 100m gold medal with a time of 10.72 seconds, marking the country's first-ever Olympic medal. Despite the challenging conditions of heavy rain, Alfred led from start to finish, defeating American favorite Sha'Carri Richardson, who took silver in 10.87 seconds, and Melissa Jefferson, who won bronze in 10.92 seconds. This victory is particularly significant as Saint Lucia had never won an Olympic medal before despite competing since 1996. Alfred's stunning performance follows her success at the University of Texas and winning the World Indoor 60m title earlier this year. Several prominent competitors, including Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, were notably absent from the final.