St. Lucia's Alfred wins Olympic women's 100m gold

Paris: Saint Lucia s Julien Alfred stunned favourite Sha Carri Richardson to win the Olympic women s 100m gold medal on Saturday, etching her name int...

Paris: Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred stunned favourite Sha'Carri Richardson to win the Olympic women's 100m gold medal on Saturday, etching her name into history to claim the Caribbean nation's first ever medal at the Games.

Alfred -- who had never finished on the podium at a major outdoor championships prior to Saturday's final -- conjured a superb race to win in 10.72sec as the USA's Richardson took silver in 10.87sec and compatriot Melissa Jefferson won bronze in 10.92sec.

Richardson, the reigning world champion over 100m, had been hotly tipped to become the first American to win the coveted Olympic crown since Gail Devers in 1996.

But the 24-year-old Texan found herself outgunned by the powerfully built Alfred, who led from start to finish after exploding out of the blocks at a rainswept Stade de France.

Alfred's gold gave St. Lucia their first ever medal of any colour at an Olympics. The island nation only began competing at the Games in 1996.