“Sha'Carri Richardson reclaimed her throne” - Fans react as the American beats Olympic champion Julien Alfred at the Zurich Diamond League

Sha'Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred lined up at the Zurich Diamond League in a rematch of the Paris Olympics 100m finals, with fans excited for the clash. In the end, it was the American who emerged victorious, clocking 10.84s to outdo the Olympic champion and her 10.88s.

Richardson went into the 2024 Games as the reigning 100m World Champion and a hot favorite for the win. With Jamaica's sprinting duo of Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shelly Anne Fraiser-Pryce not contending the race, a gold for the former LSU Tiger looked inevitable.

However, on the day of the finals, it was Julien Alfred who stole the show, beating Richardson by a fair margin to claim Saint Lucia's first Olympic medal. While the American later went on to win the 4x100m relay with Team USA, she hadn't competed since then, making this clash between her and Alfred all the more exciting.

At the Zurich Diamond League, Sha'Carri Richardson was impeccable, storming to the finish line in 10.88s to avenge her Olympic loss. Reacting to this performance, one fan on X wrote,

“Sha'Carri Richardson wins! She reclaimed her throne.”

Another hinted that this could have been the result of the Games, saying,

“See what happens when you’re allowed to warm up properly? People need to quit playing with Sha’Carri for real.”

Here's how other X users reacted to Richardson's win over Julien Alfred at the Zurich Diamond League

“She is so unf**kwithable. She needs to work on that start & no one will be seeing her,” one wrote.

“Holy shit yasssss queen!! Congratulations ma!!! Keep being amazing,” another added.

“She keeps you on the edge of your seats with these close races where she uses her incredible top end speed to catch up. If only she had quicker, flawless starts but we’re glad she took the W!” one fan commented.

“PERIODT SHA'CARRI!!!! SHE'S THE ONE!!!!” a second chimed in.

Sha'Carri Richardson on her win at the Zurich Diamond League

For Sha'Carri Richardson, this win at the Zurich Diamond League re-established her status as one of the best 100m sprinters on the women's circuit right now. Speaking to the media after the competition, she called her race amazing, and emphasized that her focus was on execution,

“To me it was an amazing race. [About the last 20 meters] I am training and executing because I know the race is not going to take care of itself.”

Her appearance in the 100m at the Zurich DL marks only the second time Richardson has raced the distance on the Diamond League circuit this year. The only other time was at the Eugene DL, where she also finished atop the podium. With her win at the Letzigrund Stadium, the American has now successfully qualified for the Diamond League Finals in eighth place.