American Sha’Carri Richardson has still ended the season on top of Julien Alfred even after the St Lucia sprinter collected more medals that her in 2024.
Julien Alfred may have finished the season at the top of the tree but she still could not topple Sha’Carri Richardson when it came to the fastest time of the year.
The American sprinter endured a torrid time against the St Lucian, who beat her at the Paris Olympics to claim gold, before serving a similar dose at the Diamond League final.
While Alfred has the medals, Richardson has the time at the conclusion of the season with her 10.71 seconds recorded at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon during the US Olympics trials in June, staying as the fastest time of the year.
It leaves fans wondering if Julien Alfred should be christened the world’s fastest woman when Sha’Carri Richardson has the quickest time of the year which is yet to be beaten since she set it.
Alfred comes second to her American rival when it comes to the fastest times after setting a national record 10.72 seconds at the Paris Olympics when she made history by winning St Lucia’s first-ever Olympics medal.
Julien Alfred brought the roof down at the Stade de France on August 3 when she floored a star-studded cast to claim gold with Sha’Carri Richardson coming home second to settle for silver ahead of American compatriot Melisa Jefferson.
The two sprinters had earlier met at the Prefontaine Classic in May where Richardson reigned supreme, clocking 10.83 seconds to win ahead of Alfred, who stopped the clock at 10.93 seconds.
Post the Olympics, Richardson got her revenge in the Zurich Diamond League when she clocked 10.84 for the win as the St Lucian sprinter settled for second in 10.88.
At the Diamond League final in Brussels, Sha’Carri Richardson saw dust, finishing a disappointing eighth (11.23) as Julien Alfred won the race in 10.88 to add another medal to her season’s collection.
In total, the two top sprinters faced off four times, each winning two, but it is Alfred who had the medals to show.
However, Richardson ends the season with her head held high as her time was unchallenged.
