Saint Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred made history at the Paris Olympic Games by winning her nation’s first-ever Olympic medals, including gold in the women’s 100m final.
Despite her triumphant moment, Alfred’s journey to the podium was marked by financial struggles, personal loss, and an unwavering drive to succeed.
In a thrilling 100m race at the Stade de France, Alfred clocked a national record of 10.72 seconds, outpacing American stars Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson, who took silver and bronze with times of 10.87 and 10.92 seconds, respectively.
Alfred continued her remarkable performance in the 200m final, securing silver with a time of 22.08 seconds, finishing behind Gabby Thomas (21.83s) and ahead of Brittany Brown (22.20s).
Reflecting on her success, Alfred shared the challenges she faced growing up, including the difficulty of affording basic training gear.
“It comes from my own story, the struggles growing up. Sometimes we didn’t have running shoes,” Alfred told the Virgin Islands Consortium.
Her track journey began at age nine, but the loss of her father in 2013 nearly derailed her ambitions. Under the mentorship of coach Cuthbert Modeste at the “Survivors” track club, Alfred was guided back to the sport despite financial hardships. Modeste’s dedication included personally ensuring Alfred attended training, even picking her up daily from the bus stop.
Alfred’s rise in the sport has also carried the weight of her nation’s hopes.
“I felt like, ‘look at my country celebrating me, I have to go to the Olympics and do the exact same thing,’” she said. However, she found motivation in uniting her country, regardless of the outcome: “Whether or not I won a medal, just getting the country together makes me feel proud.”
Now living away from Saint Lucia for nearly a decade, Alfred plans to reconnect with her roots. “Even before I won the gold at the Olympics, I was talking about how much I need to go back home…go back to what I know.”
Alfred’s path to Olympic glory wasn’t without setbacks. At the 2022 World Championships, she was disqualified in the 100m semifinals due to a false start.
The following year, she narrowly missed the podium in both the 100m and 200m finals at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Despite these challenges, she opened her 2024 season with a dominant 60m win at the World Indoor Championships, setting the stage for her Paris success.
Looking back on her performance in Paris, Alfred expressed her disappointment with the 200m final, where she finished second.
“Six races in five days was a lot, with no break at all. Coming off the turn, I think my execution was poor…I just really had to dig so hard for that silver medal at that point,” she said.
With the Olympics behind her, the 23-year-old sprinter now shifts her focus to the upcoming Diamond League meets in Zurich and Brussels, where she aims to cap off an unforgettable season.
