Julien Alfred: Key moments in 2024 that allowed St Lucia’s golden girl to push the famous Jamaica sprint nursery off the Olympic podium

Triple NCAA champion graduated to become the best female sprinter in the world, winning three major titles this year.

She gave the first hint of her progress at the in Glasgow in March where she won her first international title over 60m.

Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas will hope to be in her imperious form as she chases her compatriot's record of seven Olympic gold.

Her main course was the medal, where she set a Saint Lucian record of 10.72 to upset the world champion , who took the silver (10.87), with Richardson’s training partner Melissa Jefferson claiming the bronze (10.92).

To cap it off, Alfred completed a dominant season by winning the final in Brussels after cutting the tape in 10.88.

Italian Jacobs failed to replicate his imperious form in Paris but thinks 2025 is another opportunity for redemption.

Alfred became the first athlete from Saint Lucia, whose population is 180,000 people, to win both an Olympic medal and a gold medal, highlighting the Caribbean region’s position as the global cradle for sprinting.

The silver medal was Olympic redemption for Richardson and her winning time of 10.71 at the US Olympic trials in Eugene remained the fastest time of the year.

Keely Hodgkinson has slammed England for preferring football and leaving athletics out of the picture despite the obvious talent.

The world’s most famous sprint nursery, Jamaica, was pushed off the Olympic podium for the first time since 1988. Seventh-placed Tia Clayton (11.04) was the best Jamaican finisher and also the youngest in the final at 19. She set a personal best of 10.86 to win her first national senior title in June.

Jamaica’s only international women’s 100m title in 2024 came from Alana Reid (11.17) at the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru. Jamaica will have to look to this new generation for medal contenders at the .