TTwo Caribbean athletes have just made history at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, winning their countries their first Olympic medals. And not just any medal; both were gold.
Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred defeated Team USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson, the defending world champion who was the favorite to take home gold in the women’s 100m race on Saturday. Alfred won the race by 0.15 seconds. Another American, Melissa Jefferson, took bronze.
In Saint Lucia’s capital, Castries, people gathered for a feast celebrated as they watched Alfred make history.
That same night, about an hour before Alfred’s medal, Thea LaFond made history for Dominica by winning gold with a leap of 15.02 meters in the triple jump – giving the country its first Olympic medal.
Earlier this year, LaFond won the triple jump at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow. “I’m the only athlete here from my country, so to be able to go out and get the best result possible and put this little island on the map is a privilege,” she said after the victory, according to worldathletics.org. “This is for my people. I don’t even know what else to say!”
Saint Lucia and Dominica have a combined population of around 250,000. Dominica began competing in the Olympics in 1993, while Saint Lucia made its Olympic debut in 1996.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
