Saint Lucia and Dominica won their first ever Olympic medals, and they were gold
August 3, 2024 – a historic day for two small Caribbean countries at once. On this day Saint Lucia and Dominica win first ever Olympic medalsand immediately – golden. St. Lucia track and field athlete Julienne Alfred became the Olympic champion in the 100 meter dash, Thea Lafond from Dominica won gold in the triple jump.
Julienne Alfred ran the 100-meter dash in 10.72 seconds, setting a national record. However, the latter is not surprising: Saint Lucia is an island state in the Caribbean Sea with a population of about 170 thousand people. Its area is 617 square kilometers – less than the area of Kyiv (839 square kilometers). The island was discovered by Columbus in 1502, and now Saint Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the head of state is the King of Great Britain, who is represented by the Governor General.
See also: St. Lucia’s Alfred Wins Historic 100m at 2024 Olympics (Video)
Tea Lafond also won the triple jump competition with a national record, jumping 15.02 meters in her second attempt. Dominica is also an island state in the Caribbean Sea. The area is 750 square kilometers, the population is about 73 thousand people. Dominica was also discovered by Christopher Columbus, but nine years earlier than Saint Lucia – in 1493. The country was a British colony for a long time (since 1805), until it gained independence at the end of 1978.
Read also: Harlan breaks record for longest gap between two Olympic gold medals in fencing – 16 years
But it is quite possible that one gold medal each for Saint Lucia and Dominica in Paris is not the limit. Julien Alfred will next compete in the 200 meters, and Thea Lafond plans to compete in the long jump.
At the 2024 Olympics, Ukraine has won three medals so far. On August 3, Ukraine won its first gold — the medal was brought by the women’s team in sabre fencing. The award for the sabre fencers was the third for Ukrainian athletes at the Games in Paris. Earlier, Olha Kharlan won a bronze medal in sabre fencing. Serhiy Kulish won silver in the 50-meter air rifle three-position shooting. Boxer Oleksandr Khizhnyak guaranteed Ukraine another medal.
Read also: 2024 Olympics: Ukraine climbs into top 30 of medal standings, China continues to lead
The 2024 Summer Olympics will end on August 11. The competitions will feature 329 sets of medals in 32 sports. Ukraine will be represented in Paris by 140 athletes in 23 sports – this is the smallest representation of the blue and yellow during the Olympics.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
