Miracle from the 'tiny' island nation

Julien Alfred wrote a modern-day fairy tale when she brought the island nation of Saint Lucia a historic gold medal at the Paris Olympics. There are two things worth mentioning about Alfred. First, she defeated world champion Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) in the 100m race, which is the most prestigious event in athletics. Second, it was not until Alfred won that most sports fans around the world probably heard the name of her homeland for the first time.

Saint Lucia, where Julien Alfred was born, is an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Caribbean Sea. The island nation has an area of ​​617 ^km2 , only slightly larger than Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam (571 ^km2 ). The population of Saint Lucia is about 180,000 people. For comparison, this number is less than half of the population of Dong Da district, Hanoi.

"I aspire to help Saint Lucia win its first Olympic medal in history. That is the guiding principle for me to strive. I aspire to go to the Olympics to bring medals to my homeland," Alfred shared in August 2023.

How could a small island nation with almost no sporting legacy like Saint Lucia produce a runner who could defeat a champion from a powerhouse with over 300 track and field medals like the United States? The answer lies in Alfred’s own extraordinary desire to rise above adversity.

Father's Aspiration

Julien Alfred grew up with a dream of athletics in his bare feet, in the capital of Castries, the small island nation of Saint Lucia, nestled in the Caribbean Sea. Unlike professional athletes who have been trained since childhood, the runner born in 2001 only... ran. No shoes, no dedicated track, only the dream of athletics ignited by his father Julian Hamilton.

Alfred's tragedy came at the age of 12 when her father passed away. Alfred was devastated and gave up on her dream of running. However, athletics would not leave Alfred. Two years later, she decided to leave her native Saint Lucia for Jamaica, the homeland of her idol Usain Bolt.

"I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica. Going to where Usain Bolt is was an opportunity I couldn't refuse. I wanted to go there and my mother said yes. She didn't say I couldn't go. She just said if I wanted to go, I could do it," Alfred recalled.

Alfred came to Jamaica with nothing. No family or friends, only a burning dream of athletics ignited by his late father, and now Alfred is the one who keeps the flame alive.

The turning point came to Julien Alfred when her talent was discovered while she was studying at the University of Texas (USA). The runner born in 2003 was quickly recruited to the University of Texas track and field team, where she was trained by coach Edrick Floreal, who trained European 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith. Although a shy and timid girl, Alfred's full potential was discovered under Floreal's coaching.

"He was my father, my mentor and my coach. Competing at the highest level of athletics always comes with pressure. I appreciate what Floreal did, not only from a coaching perspective, but also as a person. He treated me as a real person, not just an athlete," Alfred emphasized.

Then, during his 5 years in the US school track, Julien Alfred has achieved countless achievements. At the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 NCAA College Athletics Championships, Alfred won the 100m and 4x100m (outdoor) and 60m and 200m (indoor) events.

Extraordinary willpower

However, the difference with Julien Alfred is that she has developed herself from a pure school runner to a professional one. "It's a difficult adjustment that many kids can't make, when there are so many obstacles. Alfred is so talented," coach Floreal shared about his student.

The enormous willpower of the girl who once ran barefoot on the sands of Saint Lucia brought Alfred step by step to the top.

After completing her college career, she defeated Richardson in the 100 m at the Istvan Gyulai Athletics Championships in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary that August, Alfred qualified for the women's 100m final and finished fifth, 0.28 seconds behind Richardson, who won the event. She also finished fourth in the 200m, behind Jamaica's Shericka Jackson and Americans Gabrielle Thomas and Richardson.

That streak continued into 2024, when Alfred won the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in March, clocking 6.98 seconds to give Saint Lucia its first medal at the competition. At the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon in May, she finished second in the 100m, just a tenth of a second behind Richardson.

Julien Alfred's success today comes from relentless efforts, not a flash of brilliance. "It took just 11 fateful seconds for Julien Alfred to reach his dream," USA Today commented.

"I have always believed that all suffering cannot compare to the potential to shine that is always hidden within each of us," Alfred affirmed.

In the afterlife, Julian Hamilton would be so proud of his daughter!