The Unlikely Champion

First Ever Olympic Medal for St. Lucia.

It was written in the stars: the world's fastest woman, world champion, and American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, who didn’t make it to the Tokyo Olympics due to a failed drug test and a controversial suspension, was the rightful heir to claim the 100 meters gold at the Paris Olympics. She came into the games as the favorite; it was an inevitable crowning, as viewed by many fans of the sport. The comeback queen.

Enter the stage at Paris 2024, Julien Alfred from St. Lucia, with a population of less than two hundred thousand people. She is the first sprinter to represent them in the final at such a big stage.

She dominated the final and won St. Lucia's first-ever Olympic Games medal. And not just any medal—gold—against the favorite in the 100-meter event. Alfred, 23, outsprinted the USA's Sha'Carri Richardson on Saturday night.

She was sprinting not just for herself but for her nation. She reached the finish line with roars and cheers from people back home at a watch party organized to support her. Many people from her country couldn’t be there to support her, but her confidence never dwindled.

So much for being an underdog! That’s what I love about the Olympic games: it unites, celebrates, and expands my knowledge of world geography. From a young age, I could identify many countries by their flags and not their spots on a world map. These games are the highlight of my summer, and it is the year of women! That means something good might happen for the woman leading the Dem's ticket.