Sha’Carri Richardson beats Julien Alfred in Olympics rematch

Sha’Carri Richardson avenged her 2024 Paris Olympics disappointment at the Diamond League track and field meet in Switzerland on Thursday.

A month after falling to her in the Summer Games, Richardson took down Saint Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred in the 100-meter final. 

The American sprinter started out behind Alfred in what appeared to be a repeat of her letdown in Paris before mounting a comeback, passing her rival in the final stretches of the race. 

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“This is probably the funnest race I’ve had all season,” Richardson said. “I took that time after the Games to come back, regroup and be able to show you guys the Sha’Carri Richardson y’all know.”

Richardson clocked in at 10.84 seconds on the wet track in Zurich, just four-hundredths ahead of Alfred, who took second in the race. 

“I am just having fun. I am trying to finish strong. I really have not had the chance to take my medal in,” Alfred said after the race, per AFP News. “After Paris I went back to Texas, did some training. It has been up and down, I am still working on the fine-tuning.”

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Richardson settled for the silver medal in the 100-meter on Aug. 3 after Alfred won in 10.72 ahead of the American’s 10.87. 

The 24-year-old returned to the Olympics after a suspension for testing positive for marijuana stopped her from competing in Tokyo in 2021.

Richardson set the world record in the 100-meter during the U.S. Olympic trials, running it in 10.71 — a hair better than Alfred’s Olympic run.