Julien Alfred beat pre-race favourite Sha'Carri Richardson to gold in the women's 100m sprint at the Olympics. However, the absence of legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce dominated the discourse.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, one of the best sprinters of all time, was denied a fairytale farewell at the Olympic Games after being forced to pull out of the women's 100m sprint race at the semifinal stage on Saturday.

Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred went on to win the race, holding off pre-tournament race favourite Sha'Carri Richardson of the US to win her country's first Olympic medal.

advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove adsWhile the country has been competing at the Games since 1996, a podium placing had remained elusive for the Caribbean nation. Until Alfred stepped in to rewrite history.

The 23-year-old finished the race in 10.72 seconds to beat Richardson and her fellow American, Melissa Jefferson, to the prized gold medal. Alfred's victory means the US will have to wait another four years to claim gold in the event.

Gail Devers won it back-to-back in 1992 and 1996 for the US. Since then, it's been a drought for the Americans. Marion Jones was victorious at Sydney 2000, but she was retrospectively stripped of the title for doping.

Alfred said she hopes her gold medal-winning sprint will inspire some change in her country. She also dedicated it to her father, who...