‘I beat Sha’Carri Richardson in Olympics 100M – this is how I knew I’d win’

After defying predictions to triumph over favorite Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m at the Olympics in Paris, the triumphant Julien Alfred has reflected on her career-defining successJulien Alfred revealed the mindset she had coming into her 100m showdown with Sha’Carri Richardson at the Olympics (Olympics hero Julien Alfred has explained that she knew she had the gold medal “in the bag” coming into the 100m showdown with Sha’Carri Richardson at the Games in Paris.The American was the expected frontrunner for the top prize in the race over the summer, having won gold in the event at the World Championships a year previously. However, Saint Lucia’s Alfred stunned the athletics world as she wrote her name into history with an impressive time of 10.72 seconds in the spectacle to triumph.Her gold medal was the first earned by any athlete from the country as she established her legacy as a national hero with her stunning showing. Her achievement meant that rival Richardson had to settle for silver, with Melissa Jefferson taking the bronze on a captivating evening in the French capital.Now, the 23-year-old has reflected on what was a life-changing experience in Paris as she revealed that she was confident that she could reign victorious coming into the race. Alfred had previously won silver in the event at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 but was not viewed as one of the favorites coming into the affair.Speaking to SportsMax TV, she revealed the mindset she took into the race, saying: “I knew I had it in the bag as long as I just go out there execute and do what my coaching I have been working on for such a long time and do the same thing like in the final I knew I had it in the bag.”The Saint Lucian icon also earned the silver medal in the 200m race at the Games with a time of 22.08 seconds, as she finished as runner-up to Gabrielle Thomas. Meanwhile, 100m rival Richardson eventually exacted her revenge as she earned gold in the Diamond League race in Zurich in September, as Alfred took silver that time.