Saturday's race was shorn of a global superstar when Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the five-time world and two-time Olympic 100m champion, withdrew.
Yet Alfred delivered the star power at the Stade de France with a fantastic effort, as she cruised to victory in 10.72 seconds.
In the process, the 23-year-old claimed the first Olympic medal for Saint Lucia.
Alfred finished ahead of Sha'Carri Richardson, the reigning world champion.
Melissa Jefferson, Richardson's American compatriot, crossed in third, ahead of Great Britain's Daryll Neita.
In a breathtaking performance, Stona, on his debut at the global multi-sport showpiece, not only clinched the top podium spot but also set a new Olympic record of 70.00m, which marked a monumental achievement for himself and his country, at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
Competing in a world-class field, Stona, who was one of three Jamaicans in the final, stood tall with his impressive fourth-round throw to upset the applecart. He won ahead of World Record holder Mykolas Alekna (69.97m) of Lithuania and Australia’s Matthew Denny (69.31m).
The other Jamaicans, Ralford Mullings (65.61m) and Travis Smikle (64.97m), were ninth and 10th, respectively.
Stona, 25, coached by America’s three-time Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser, was praised by Smikle for his achievement, which is a testament to his relentless work ethic and the rigorous training regimen, which included stints with NFL teams Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
“I am so happy for him; it’s a big thing to see. Stona is a great thrower, and he showed it today. This is the beautiful thing about track and field; there are a lot of upsets, and Stona is having his moment. I had a bad day and Ralford Mullings had a bad day as well, so Stona’s performance is a great achievement for him and for Jamaica as well,” Smikle said.
Jamaica, renowned for its prowess in sprinting, now has a new hero in field events. In fact, four of the country’s five medals at the Paris Games so far have come in the field, as Kishane Thompson’s 100m silver is the lone medal from the track.
Stona’s historic victory in the discus throw, as well as Rajindra Campbell’s shot put bronze, Shanieka Ricketts’ triple jump silver, and Wayne Pinnock’s long jump silver, heralds a new era of success and diversification in Jamaica’s athletic achievements and promises an exciting future for the island’s athletes in all disciplines.
McCoy, running out of lane nine, produced an excellent last 50m to finish second in heat two in 20.35 behind Uganda’s Tarsis Orogot who won in a comfortable 20.32.
Brazil’s Renan Correa ran 20.41 to secure the third automatic spot relegating Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson, who ran 20.53 for fourth, to Tuesday’s repechage round.
Ogando was the third fastest qualifier to the semis after running 20.04 to finish second in heat four behind American Kenny Bednarek who’s winning time of 19.96 was the fastest in the heats. Germany’s Joshua Hartmann took the third automatic spot in that race with 20.30.
Jamaica’s Bryan Levell and Bahamian Ian Kerr will both have to come back to tomorrow’s repechage round if they are to make it to the semifinals after fourth and fifth place finishes in their respective heats.
Levell ran 20.47 to finish fourth in heat six behind 100m champion Noah Lyles (20.19), defending Olympic champion Andre De Grasse (20.30) and Japan’s Towa Uzawa (20.33).
Kerr ran 20.53 for fifth in heat five won by American Erriyon Knighton in 19.99. Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu ran 20.07 for second while South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi ran 20.20 for third.
Medal contenders Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (20.10) and Joseph Fahnbulleh of Liberia (20.20) both advanced as heat winners.
While their progressions were anticipated, Jamaica’s world leader, Nickisha Pryce, who enjoyed a rich vein of form throughout the season, was a big surprise casualty as she had her worst performance this year in semi-final two. Pryce went out hard but faded into fourth in 50.77s, behind Paulino (49.21s), who won comfortably ahead of American Alexis Holmes (50.00s).
Despite placing third in semi-final three, Sade Williams’ 49.89s was good enough for one of the two non-automatic qualifying spots to the final. Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek (49.45s) won the race ahead of Great Britain’s Amber Anning (49.47s).
Jamaica’s Stacey-Ann Williams (50.79s) and Cuba’s Roxana Gomez (50.48s) were seventh and fifth in that semi-final, respectively, and both failed to progress.
Earlier, Jamaican Junelle Bromfield (51.93s) and Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott (51.22s) were eighth and seventh in semi-final one, as they too missed out. The qualifying spots from that race went to Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser (49.08s), Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke (49.95s), and Norway’s Henriette Jaeger (50.17s).
The final is scheduled for Friday, August 9.
The 21-year-old, who was the bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships, upgraded in a massive way, as he proved strongest in the closing stages to win the half-lap event in National Record 19.45s.
Americans Kenneth Bednarek (19.62s), Noah Lyles (19.70s), and Eriyon Knighton (19.99s) were second, third, and fourth, respectively, while the Caribbean’s lone representative, Alexander Ogando (20.02s) of the Dominican Republic, was third.
Not only did Tebogo deny Olympic 100m champion Lyles the sprint double, but he also prolonged the American’s wait to crown a male 200m champion since 2004.
Ogando, who has in the past shown his ability over 400m, utilised that endurance to place second in semi-final one. He clocked 20.09s, behind American gold medal favourite Kenneth Bednarek, who stopped the clock in a flat 20.00s.
Bahamian Wanya McCoy (20.61s) and Jamaica’s Bryan Levell (20.93s) were fifth and eighth in that semi-final and failed to progress.
Meanwhile, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (19.96s), American 100m champion Noah Lyles (20.08s), and Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba (20.31s) advanced from semi-final two, while another American, Erriyon Knighton (20.09s), Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh (20.12s), and Tapiwanashe Makarawu (20.16s), also of Zimbabwe, got the coveted spots from semi-final three.
The men's 200m final is scheduled for Friday August 9.
Noah Lyles, who won 100m gold on Sunday, entered Thursday's final as the clear favourite but could only manage a bronze medal, with US Track and Field subsequently revealing he was suffering from COVID-19.
Fellow American Kenny Bednarek took silver, with Tebogo's time of 19.46 seconds seeing him become Botswana's first Olympic gold medallist in any sport.
They previously won bronze in the men's 4 x 400 relay at the Tokyo Games three years ago, while Nijel Amos took silver in the men's 800m at London 2012.
Tebogo's triumph came just three months after his mother Seratiwa passed away following a brief illness.
After the race, Tebogo held up his spikes to the cameras to display a message detailing his mother's date of birth, before dedicating his victory to her.
"It's basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field," Tebogo told reporters.
"To take her with me, it gives me a lot of motivation. She's watching up there, and she's really, really happy."
McMaster, who has endured a topsy-turvy season, placed fifth in a season’s best 47.79s, while Clarke, who was up with the front runners at one point, lost his form, clipped obstacles in the closing stages, and failed to finish.
Still, there was some Caribbean connection on the podium, as American gold medal winner Rai Benjamin is the son of former West Indies stalwart Winston Benjamin. The younger Benjamin, who represented Antigua and Barbuda at the youth level, won in a season’s best 46.46s.
He upstaged Norwegian World Record holder Karsten Warholm (47.06s), while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (47.26s) closed fast to claim bronze.
The Caribbean women, led by the legendary Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, all safely navigated their respective heats with contrasting performances.
Though she placed second in the eighth and final heat in 10.92s, Fraser-Pryce, in her final appearance at the global multi-sport event, was the fastest of the Caribbean representatives. The 37-year-old was only bettered by Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, who clocked a season-best 10.87s to win that heat.
Germany’s Gina Lueckenkemper (11.08s) was third. The quality of Fraser-Pryce and Ta Lou-Smith was highlighted by the fact that the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers—Rani Rosius (11.12s) of Belgium and Puerto Rico’s Gladymar Torres, with a national record of 11.12s—came from that final heat.
Earlier, St. Lucia’s standout Julien Alfred comfortably topped heat two in 10.95s, ahead of New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs (11.08s) and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso (11.30s). The other Caribbean ladies, Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.33s) of Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba’s Yunisleidy Garcia Abreu (11.37s), placed fourth and fifth in the same heat and missed out on semi-final spots.
Prior to that, Tristan Evelyn (11.55s) of Barbados failed to progress, as she placed sixth in heat one. The heat was won by American World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson in 10.94s, ahead of Patrizia van der Weken (11.14s) of Luxembourg and Australia’s Bree Masters (11.26s).
Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, with a season’s best 10.92s, led qualifiers from heat three. American Melissa Jefferson (10.96s) and Hungary’s Boglarka Takacs, who clocked a national record of 11.10s, also progressed.
Jamaica’s debutant Tia Clayton did what was required to advance, as she placed second in heat four in 11.00s. Canada’s Audrey Leduc won in a national record of 10.95s, while Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot (11.10s) also advanced.
Heat five was won by Poland’s Ewa Swoboda in a season’s best 10.99s, ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (11.01s) and Rosemary Chukwuma (11.26s).
The Caribbean duo of Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes (11.19s), who replaced Shericka Jackson, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Leah Bertrand (11.27s) safely progressed to the semi-finals after placing second and third in heat six. American Twanisha Terry (11.15s) won the event, while Zahria Allers-Liburd (11.89s) of St. Kitts and Nevis, who ran the preliminary round earlier in the day, finished out of contention in eighth.
Grenada’s Halle Hazzard (11.70s), who progressed from the preliminary round an hour early, failed to repeat the feat as she placed eighth in heat seven. Gambia’s Miriam Bass Bittaye (11.01s) won that heat ahead of Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) and Delphine Nkansa (11.20s).
Video circulating on social media showed both Fraser-Pryce and Richardson waiting outside the gate to enter the facility as security officials denied them entry.
Both athletes reportedly arrived to the venue in private vehicles rather than the team shuttle provided by the organizers and were told they would have to get into the venue another way.
A second video showed Fraser-Pryce trying to make sense of the situation.
“She said they changed the rule yesterday. How can you change the rule and then not say? So, they’re asking all the athletes who, for whatever reason, don’t stay in the village, they can’t come through the gate?” Fraser-Pryce said.
“We came through this gate yesterday and went through security and were okay. The man said we have to go all the way up where everybody else is entering to come back down here. That’s crazy,” she added.
Fraser-Pryce and Richardson are expected to battle for gold in the 100m.
The semifinals are set to start at 12:50pm Jamaica Time (1:50pm EST) with the final scheduled for 2:20pm (3:20pm EST).
In a stunning display of speed and determination, Alfred crossed the finish line first, and, much like she did when she copped the World Indoor title earlier this year, etched her name into the annals of Olympic history, bringing immense pride to her island nation.
On a cool, and wet evening at the Stade de France, Alfred, running from lane six, delivered a performance that will be remembered for generations. The 23-year-old’s explosive start and powerful finish left competitors in her wake, as she clocked a National Record of 10.72s in a negative 0.1 metres per second wind reading.
After crossing the line, Alfred raised her arms in triumph but later burst into tears, overwhelmed by the magnitude of her achievement. She is now the third Caribbean sprinter to win the title after Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah, but more importantly, Alfred also ensured that the women's 100m gold goes to a Caribbean representative for a fifth Olympic Games.
The American duo of Sha’Carri Richardson (10.87s) and Melissa Jefferson (10.92s) took silver and bronze. Jamaica’s Tia Clayton (11.04s) had a slight stumble early and was left back in seventh.
Anderson, who has displayed superb form from the preliminary round of the event, launched the instrument to a best mark of 88.54m on his fourth attempt to claw his way back onto the podium.
The 26-year-old was at one point in the gold medal position after throwing 87.87m on his second attempt. This was after another Caribbean stalwart, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, launched the javelin to a season’s best 86.16m to set the tone for a humdinger of a finals.
Walcott was later relegated to seventh, as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem opened daylight on competitors with a massive Olympic Record of 92.97m to win the event. Nadeem won ahead of India’s Neeraj Chopra (89.45m), last year’s World Champion and 2020 Olympic Champion.
Anderson’s bronze medal is the Spice Isles second of the global multi-sport showpiece, following Lindon Victor's decathlon bronze.
After the 100m, long jump and shot put, Victor occupies sixth overall with a total of 2724 points, while Mullings is six positions lower in 12th with 2592 points.
Germany’s Leo Neugebauer (2876), Canada’s Damian Warner (2798) and Ayden Owens-Delerme (2786) of Puerto Rico occupy the medal positions so far.
Victor finished sixth in heat three of the 100m in 10.56 seconds, which earned him 961 points, while Mullings seventh-place finish in 10.60 seconds earned him 952 points.
For the long jump event, Victor ended eighth in group B with a leap of 7.48m, adding 930 points to his total, while Mullings cut the sand at 7.36m and secured 900 points for his 10th place finish.
In the shot-put event, Victor demonstrated his athleticism by throwing 15.71m. He tallied 833 points for his fourth-place finish, while Mullings received 740 points for his 14.19m-throw which was good enough for 11th.
The gruelling two-day 10-discipline event continues in the evening session, scheduled to begin at 11:00am Jamaica time, with the high jump next in the athletes’ sight as they seek to improve up the standings.
The thrilling decathlon competition saw Norway’s Markus Rooth land gold, while Germany’s Leo Neugebauer secured silver.
Victor delivered outstanding achievements in the 10 events. He set a season’s best in the high jump, clearing 2.02 metres to finish third and receive 822 points.
He then clocked 47.84s in heat two of the 400m race, which earned him 917 points, with another 896 points coming by way of a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles. His time was 14.62s.
The 31-year-old Grenadian then produced an excellent performance in the discus throw, setting an Olympic Decathlon Best of 53.91m, which is when he actually ascended into a medal position by virtue of that 952 points. He then added 880 points and 862 points from the pole vault and javelin, where he cleared 4.90m and threw 68.22m, respectively.
Victor then closed with a 4:43.53-clocking in the 1,500m race, adding 658 points to his final score.
Meanwhile, Bahamian Ken Mullings also delivered a commendable performance in the decathlon, finishing 13th with 8226 points.
Mullings tied Victor's high jump mark of 2.02m, gaining 822 points. He established a season best of 49.43s in the 400m for fourth, which earned him 841 points.
In the 110m hurdles, Mullings clocked 13.70s for another 1014 points, with a discus personal best of 46.07m adding a further 789 points.
Mullings continued his impressive performance in the pole vault, clearing 4.80m for 849 points, and he had another 735 points from the javelin, where he threw 59.83m.
The 27-year-old then ended with a 4:55.84-clocking in the 1500m to add 584 points to his final tally.
While Peters registered a season’s best 88.63m on his first attempt in a one-and-done performance to qualify second from Group B, Walcott, who launched the instrument to 83.02m for sixth in Group A, was made to sweat before he was eventually confirmed as the 11th overall best thrower in the final 12 to contest the medal event.
The fact that Peters effortlessly exceeded the qualification standards to qualify second overall places him in line for a possible podium finish, provided he can replicate or better his qualifying performance. Only India's Neeraj Chopra, who threw a season’s best 89.34m, topped Peters.
Walcott, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, would have welcomed his qualification based on his distance despite not meeting the automatic qualification standard of 84.00m and will no doubt be looking to improve significantly in the final.
The men's javelin throw final is scheduled for August 8.
The former University of Arkansas star and current NCAA Indoor, Outdoor and World junior record holder produced a best jump of 17.61m to finish just outside of the medals in Paris at the Stade de France on Friday.
Illustrating how close Hibbert was to a medal, Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez took bronze with 17.64m.
After qualifying sixth overall on Thursday, Hibbert opened Friday’s final with a 17.31m jump before going out to 17.61m in the second round.
He then jumped 17.53m in round three before fouls in rounds four and five and then passing on his sixth and final attempt.
“It was a good experience. Firstly, I have to thank God for what he has done,” Hibbert told Jamaican media after his final.
The former Kingston College standout competed in both qualifying and the final with a brace on his left knee, signaling that he was not 100% going into these championships.
“I almost boycotted the Olympics and I’m here standing on fourth place. I don’t know how many 19-year-olds can say they came fourth at the Olympics,” he said.
Hibbert said he felt even more pain during one of his attempts, at which point he decided to just prioritize the future rather than potentially doing even more damage.
“I got a hard fall on one of the jumps and I felt something so I kind of stopped competing right there,” he said.
“My coach was trying to convince me to go back but I told him ‘coach, I’m 19 and have a lot more years to come so I don’t want to risk injury,’” he added.
As for what’s next for Hibbert, he says his focus right now is rest and recovery.
“For now, I’m grateful for the fourth-place finish and it’s just road to recovery after this. I’m going to rest and re-evaluate a lot of stuff. I’ll be good,” he said.
The 19-year-old, in his first Olympic Games, produced a best jump of 16.99m to advance sixth overall in qualifying at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
That 16.99m came in his first-round jump. He then did 16.95m in round two before closing out his qualifying campaign with a foul in the third round.
The other Jamaican in the field, Jordan Scott, had a best jump of 16.36m to finish 24th overall in qualifying.
Medal contenders Pedro Pichardo, Jordan Diaz Fortuin and Hugues Fabrice Zango all successfully made it through to Friday’s final.
Holloway was edged out by Jamaica's Hansle Parchment at the delayed 2020 Games but travelled to France having won three straight World Championship golds.
He flew out of the blocks in Thursday's final at the Stade de France, taking the crown with a time of 12.99 seconds.
Fellow American Daniel Roberts claimed silver with a time of 13.09, with Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell taking bronze.
Holloway sprinted to the bell following his triumph before declaring: "I've made it. I've done it. I am the Olympic champion."
The 26-year-old had previously won gold at the World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League, in addition to his triumphs at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
Of the three Caribbean men in the 200m, only Jamaica’s national champion, Brian Levell, advanced to the semi-final after placing second in heat two in 20.47s, which was good enough for a non-automatic qualifying spot.
Another Jamaican, Andrew Hudson (20.55s), and Bahamian, Ian Kerr (20.60s), placed second and third, respectively, in heat four, but were not quick enough to progress as only the winner from that heat advanced.
In the women’s 400m, Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott won heat two with a National Record of 50.52s to advance to the semi-finals, while Shaunae Miller-Uibo (53.50s) of the Bahamas was eighth in the same heat.
Earlier, Guyana’s Aliyah Abrams (51.84s) was fifth in heat one and failed to progress.
Meanwhile, Dominican Republic’s Yeral Nunez (53.68s), the lone Caribbean representative in the 400m hurdles, was fifth in his heat and missed out on a spot in the semi-finals.
In what is her final Olympic Games, Fraser-Pryce, who boasts a rich legacy as one of, if not the greatest female sprinter of all time, was expected to end this chapter of her career on a high. However, after arriving in the call room, the 37-year-old, who has had her struggles with injuries this season, was later seen heading back to the warm-up area, and news of her withdrawal sent ripples through the track and field community.
While Fraser-Pryce’s competitors' respect and admiration for her is evident, they had to focus on their own task at hand in the hunt for Olympic glory.
In her absence, St Lucia’s stalwart Alfred finished tops in semi-final two, as she got away well from lane six and was not for catching. She won in 10.84s, ahead of American World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson (10.89s), who closed late.
Jamaica’s rising sensation Tia Clayton, now viewed by many as a proverbial ‘dark horse’ in the event, won semi-final three in 10.89s, pulling Great Britain’s Daryll Neita (10.97s) with her. American Twanisha Terry (11.07s) was third and progressed as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers. Trinidad and Tobago's Leah Bertrand (11.37s) was ninth.
Earlier, American Melissa Jefferson topped semi-final one in 10.99s, with Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (11.01s) closing fast to take the second automatic qualifying spot. Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) got the other non-automatic qualifying spot.
Jamaica’s Shashalee Forbes (11.20s) was sixth.
The final is scheduled for 2:20pm Jamaica time.
