Olympics roundup: Julien Alfred stuns Sha’Carri Richardson in 100 meters; Ryan Crouser wins third gold in shot put

TRACK AND FIELD: This was supposed to be Sha’Carri Richardson’s moment. This was supposed to be her arrival as the queen of sprint. Only a gold medal seemed worthy of her ability.

But she’ll have to wait four more years. Saturday belonged to Julien Alfred and Saint Lucia.

Alfred won the women’s 100-meter dash in 10.72 seconds, claiming the first medal of any kind for her home country. Richardson’s time of 10.87 was good enough to win a silver, her first Olympic medal. American Melissa Jefferson’s 10.92 was good for bronze.

In the biggest race of her life, Richardson was not the dominant force she’d been all year. Twice on Saturday, both in the semifinals and finals of the women’s 100, she was slow out of the blocks. Both times, Alfred was not. One of the best sprinters in the world was simply too fast to chase down from behind, even for Richardson’s terrific closing speed.

That was true in the semifinals as Richardson lost her heat to Alfred after a slow start out of the blocks. It was even more true in the final, especially on the wet track at Stade de France.

The women’s 100 final didn’t end up being the epic event it was brewing to become. The presence of the Jamaicans was diminished with their three best sprinters not in the final. Defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and projected future champ Shericka Jackson pulled out earlier. Veteran sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a late scratch in the semifinals.

• Crouser wins third gold in shot put: The distance between Ryan Crouser and second place was about 2½ feet. The distance between Crouser and anybody else who could possibly be mentioned as the greatest shot-putter?

Let’s just say it’s measured in medals instead of meters.

No one has thrown a shot put farther, indoors or outdoors. He holds both world records. Now, no one has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals. He completed the trifecta Saturday, his throw of 75 feet, 1¾ inches securing his spot as the GOAT of shot put.

What makes this one extra special is Crouser, at one point this year, thought his career was over. Injury shelved him for months, robbed him of his strength and opened the door for doubt to enter. That, too, he overpowered.

Crouser said the injury prompted him to refine his technique since he couldn’t rely so much on brute strength. The refinement kept the 31-year-old ahead of the curve.

He’s so good, another exceptional shot put talent might end his career never winning Olympic gold. Team USA’s Joe Kovacs is as good as they come. He won the silver in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. He finished second to Crouser again in Paris.

• Hinchliffe wins 100 heat: Great Britains’ Louie Hinchliffe, who spent one year running at Washington State, won the third heat in the men’s 100 in 9.98 seconds, beating United States runner Noah Lyes in second (10.04).

Hinchliffe was third overall, while Lyes was 12th ahead of Sunday’s semifinals and final. Americans Kenneth Bednarek (9.97) and Fred Kerley (9.97) were first and second overall, respectively.

Nedoroscik’s legend grows

MEN’S GYMNASTICS: Aptly, he tucked an American flag into the back of his sweatshirt collar, turning the stars and stripes into a cape. Stephen Nedoroscik is, after all, America’s new favorite superhero.

Crafted straight out of the Olympic script, Nedoroscik stars on a piece of equipment that the average sports fan has no earthly idea how to determine a good routine from a bad one. He wears glasses because of a congenital eye disease that renders his eyes permanently dilated, solves Rubik’s Cubes for relaxation, eats exactly six pieces of green apple and a chocolate muffin on competition days.

When he sat down at the dais for his news conference after securing a second bronze medal, Nedoroscik took the index finger of his right hand and pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. The only thing missing from central casting – a piece of tape to hold them together.

But when Nedoroscik swings on the pommel horse, flying through a routine that is obviously complex enough that even the gymnastics novices would know that it’s good.

In a script flip from the team final, Nedoroscik went smack dab in the middle, fifth out of eight gymnasts. He nailed a 15.300, slotting him in third.

Instead of waiting to compete, he had to wait to ensure he got on the podium. When South Korea’s Hur Woong fell off the apparatus, securing the bronze, Nedoroscik thrust his hands into the air, to the delight of the crowd.

“It’s definitely not the best scenario to be in, when there’s a few more gymnasts to go and you’re sitting in third,” Nedoroscik said. “It’s a little bit of a nail-biter, but I was confident that my score was maybe good enough to hold.”

McIntosh beats loaded 200 IM field

SWIMMING: The summer of Summer McIntosh roared with her third individual Olympic gold medal of these Games, this one coming in the women’s 200 individual medley.

Canada’s McIntosh, 17, touched the wall in 2 minutes, 6.56 seconds to set an Olympic record and beat a loaded field. It was a star-studded affair featuring Kate Douglass, the reigning world champion, and her University of Virginia training partner Alex Walsh. Both Walsh and Douglass medaled in the event in Tokyo.

Douglass won silver Saturday with a time of 2:06.92.

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown took bronze after Walsh was disqualified for an illegal turn from backstroke to breaststroke. Walsh was originally announced as the third-place finisher.

From staff and wire services