When Julien Alfred sprinted to athletics gold in the women’s 100m at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Saturday, 3 August, it was more than just a win — albeit a stunning upset victory — for a single athlete.
As the first Olympic medal winner ever from the tiny island nation of Saint Lucia, she hopes her win is the first of many, as does her Caribbean island nation.
“Growing up, I used to be on the field struggling, with no shoes, running barefoot, running in my school uniform, running all over the place,” the 23-year-old Alfred said in the afterglow of her shock upset over reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the USA, who had to settle for silver.
“We barely have the right facilities. The stadium is not fixed. I hope this gold medal will help Saint Lucia build a new stadium, to help the sport grow.”
Alfred suspected that her country was already celebrating.
“I’m going to start crying. I’ve been trying to stay strong as much as possible. It means a lot to me, my coach, my country, which I’m sure is celebrating now.”
Alfred was right. A post on X (formerly Twitter) showed a watch party in Castries. Hundreds of fans gathered to cheer her on, and then broke into dancing, singing and cheering after she won.
It was one of four watch parties set up by the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Saint Lucia, which urged Saint Lucians to come together, celebrate and don national colours in support of Alfred in her Saturday quest for Olympic gold.
Saint Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre shared his own personal excitment about Alfred’s Olympic victory in a phone call with Jamaican radio station Nationwide90FM, saying, “I am happy, I am happy, I am happy; that’s all I can say.”
“This is a historic day, and I am very happy that I can be part of that history,” added Pierre. “It is raining, but no one cares about the rain.”
His office shared congratulations to Alfred on social media, with one post proclaiming 3 August “Juju Day.” However, this wasn’t the first time Saint Lucia’s government had explicitly supported Alfred.
In 2023, the government included support for Alfred in its budget, awarding her a diplomatic passport to make travelling easier.
It also prepared a special welcome ceremony for Alfred at Hewanorra International Airport after she won the women’s 60m event at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Leave a Reply