Julian Alfred is the women’s 100m Olympic champion after storming to victory ahead of Sha’Carri Richardson.
The women’s showpiece sprint event was missing all three Jamaican athletes who secured gold, silver and bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
Back-to-back Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was forced to pull out of the Paris 2024 Games due to an Achilles injury.
Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 100m field to put her full focus on the 200m race.
Julian Alfred won the women’s 100m final
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And Jamaican icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who ran the second-fastest time in the heats, pulled out of the semi-finals after suffering an injury in the warm-up.
That opened the door for the likes of Richardson, who set a championship record with a time of 10.65 to win last year’s 100m world championship title.
It was breakout sprint star Julian Alfred, who won 60m gold at this year’s world indoor championships, that set the fastest time in the semi-finals.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, Melissa Jefferson and Tia Clayton also put in strong displays to book their place in the final along with British star Neita.
But there was drama just minutes before the 100m final was scheduled as a heavy downpour hit the Stade de France.
The wet track would have certainly made some athletes nervous in front of the packed out stadium.
Richardson was still the favourite to clinch gold, but the American was caught on her heels at the start as Alfred made a strong getaway.
The Saint Lucia sprinter led from the front as others tried to chase her down, but nobody could get close to her as she crossed the line with a time of 10.72.
Sha’Carri Richardson made a slow start to the race
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Richardson recovered to claim silver with her compatriot Jefferson pipping Neita to bronze.
In finishing fourth, Neita secured Great Britain’s best position in the women’s 100m final since Dorothy Hyman won silver at the 1960 Olympics.
She finished just 0.04 seconds behind Jefferson for the Olympic medal and was ‘speechless’ after the race.
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Daryll Neita finished fourth for Great Britain
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Neita said: “I’m finding it hard to find words at the minute, literally speechless, so close to the medal, so close.
“I think I put a good race together, I came fourth in the final, it’s an amazing progression – I was last in the final last time. I can only bring this fight into the 200m, because I’m there.
“I’m lost for words at the minute. I’m healthy and I have the 200m to contest in. I was so close to that medal and I really wanted that medal.
“But fourth in the Olympics is something to be proud of.”