Olympics track and field Day 2 results: Ryan Crouser takes gold, Sha'Carri Richardson settles for silver

For Olympic track and field, it doesn't get much bigger than the women's 100m.

Plenty of events have tried to match the star power the 100m possesses. Many have failed. It's hard to keep spectators captivated for hours on end. But seconds? That's a different story.

When the dust settled on Saturday night, it was St. Lucia's Julien Alfred who stood alone. The 23-year old outdid American Sha'Carri Richardson in the races opening paces. And despite a valiant effort from the defending world champion, Alfred took home the gold, recording a scorching 10.72s time in the process.

Richardson didn't fall too far back, instead earning a silver medal for her efforts. Three years after enduring Olympic heartbreak, Richardson reaffirmed her status as one of the world's best sprinters. She wasn't able to end USA's winless drought in the women's 100m, which extended to 28 years. But she was close. So too was fellow American Melissa Jefferson, who finished in third.

Alfred's win wasn't the only shock of Saturday evening. The U.S. 4x400m relay team strung together a wondrous display in heats, posting a world record time (3:07.41) to lead the pack on Friday. Saturday appeared to represent something of a coronation. That is, until Femke Bol and Netherlands overcame a mammoth lead to rip gold gemstones right off of American necks.

All told, it was a fairly timid day for American track and field, with just one athlete — shot-putter Ryan Crouser — picking up gold. With plenty of events left to run, there's ample time for the U.S. to assert itself as one of track and field's greatest contributors. They just have to stay the course.

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Day 2 of the track and field portion of the competition. Follow below for highlights, analysis and more from all the action as it happened in Paris.

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
Full Olympics schedule | How to watch in USA | Meet NBC's broadcasters

Olympics track and field results

Saturday, August 3

Live track and field updates, highlights from 2024 Olympics

3:23 p.m.: Julien Alfred takes the gold, outdoing Richardson and Jefferson with a scorching 10.72s time. That's St. Lucia's first-ever Olympic medal.

3:22 p.m.: Here we go from the women's 100m.

3:03 p.m.: Netherlands does it! Femke Bol with a sensational run in the final stretch to hold off the Americans. Went from fourth to first in the blink of an eye! The Dutch take the gold with a scorching time of 3:07.43.

47.93 ANCHOR LEG BY FEMKE BOL! OH MY HEAVENS! 🇳🇱 #Paris2024 #Olympics #Athletics

pic.twitter.com/XkSz6XKpmI

— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) August 3, 2024

2:59 p.m.: The mixed 4x400 final is here! Watch for Team USA, which set the world record in the apparatus yesterday. Could they best their feat this time around?

2:50 p.m.: The shot-put final has concluded. And was there ever any doubt? Crouser takes home the gold, while fellow American Joe Kovacs nabs the silver. Rajindra Campbell held off Payton Otterdahl to prevent an American monopoly on the podium.

2:28 p.m.: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's absence the big story in today's race. She shockingly withdrew from the 100m semis with nary a reason why.

2:10 p.m.: Jamaican teenager Tia Clayton puts on a show in her heat, outdueling American Twanisha Terry to punch her ticket to the finals. Terry and Great Britain star Daryll Neita qualify — Terry doing so on time.

2:02 p.m.: Richardson makes it to the finals! She falls just short to St. Lucia's Julien Alfred, who showcased an elegant stride in the opening stages to race out in front.

1:58 p.m.: Richardson stands on the starter's block. We're but moments away from her racing here. Plenty of support for the 24-year old in the Stade de France concourses.

1:52 p.m.: Jefferson wins her heat (10.99s), just outpacing Ta Lou-Smith (11.01s) after getting a wondrous start in the opening 20 or so meters. They'll both be taking part in the women's 100m finals. Richardson and the rest of her heat are up next.

1:50 p.m.: Women's 100m stars are headed to the starting blocks. The first heat will see Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith take the starting blocks. She had the fastest time of any runner during the first round. American Melissa Jefferson will also feature in the run.

1:49 p.m.: Wonderful toss by Crouser to start kick things off. 22.64 meters with relative ease. It might be a long night for his colleagues.

Whoa. Ryan Crouser, who is going for his record third-consecutive gold in shot put, just threw 22.64 meters on his first attempt. Put a little early distance on his competitors. Right after, he walked toward the stands and pumped up the crowd.

— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) August 3, 2024

1:30 p.m.: Men's shot put final is on the horizon. Expect Ryan Crouser to be in the mix for a gold. If he were to end the night on top, it would represent his third career Olympic title.

1:00 p.m.: Impressive showings by Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles as the Americans make their mark in the men's 100m. Setting up for a solid showing in the semifinals, potentially.

Olympic track and field event schedule

The Olympic track and field events will mostly be held in Stade de France, a stadium just outside Paris that can hold more than 77,000 fans. Events will take place beginning on Aug. 1 until Aug. 11. 

Thursday, Aug. 1

Friday, Aug. 2

Decathlon events

Saturday, Aug. 3

Decathlon events

Sunday, Aug. 4

Monday, Aug. 5

Tuesday, Aug. 6

Wednesday, Aug. 7

Thursday, Aug. 8

Heptathlon events

Friday, Aug. 9

Heptathlon events

Saturday, Aug. 10

Sunday, Aug. 11