Who is this extraordinary talent from an island nation of only 200,000 people who won an Olympic gold medal?
•20/10/2024
Julien Alfred made his country, Saint Lucia, proud by winning a spectacular Olympic gold medal in the women's 100m race with a time of 10.72 seconds, just 0.15 seconds faster than Sha'Carri Richardson of the United States.
A miracle from a 'tiny' island nation.
Julien Alfred wrote a modern-day fairy tale when she brought home a historic gold medal for the island nation of Saint Lucia at the Paris Olympics. Two things are noteworthy about Alfred. First, she defeated world champion Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) in the 100m race, the most prestigious event in athletics. Second, it wasn't until Alfred's victory that most sports fans worldwide likely heard of her hometown. Saint Lucia, where Julien Alfred was born, is an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Caribbean Sea. The island nation covers an area of 617 km² , only slightly larger than Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam (571 km² ). The population of Saint Lucia is approximately 180,000 people. For comparison, this is less than half the population of Dong Da District, Hanoi .
Julien Alfred wins a historic victory for Saint Lucia.
AFP
"I yearn to help Saint Lucia win its first Olympic medal in history. That's my guiding principle. I long to go to the Olympics and bring home a medal for my homeland," Alfred shared in August 2023. How could a small island nation like Saint Lucia, with almost no sporting history, produce a runner capable of defeating a champion from a powerhouse with over 300 track and field medals like the United States? The answer lies in Alfred's extraordinary desire to rise above adversity.
A father's aspiration
Julien Alfred grew up barefoot, dreaming of athletics, in the small island nation of Saint Lucia, nestled in the Caribbean Sea. Unlike professional athletes who train from a young age, the runner, born in 2001, ran without shoes or a dedicated track. No shoes, no specialized track, just the dream of athletics ignited by her father, Julian Hamilton. Tragedy struck Alfred at age 12 when her father passed away. Alfred was devastated and gave up her dream of running. However, athletics refused to leave Alfred. Two years later, she decided to leave her hometown of Saint Lucia and go to Jamaica, the homeland of her idol, Usain Bolt. "I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica. Going to where Usain Bolt is is an opportunity I couldn't refuse. I wanted to go, and my mother nodded in agreement. She didn't say I couldn't go. She just said if I wanted to, I should do it," Alfred recalled.
Alfred never gave up.
AFP
Alfred arrived in Jamaica with nothing. No family or friends, just a burning dream of athletics ignited by her late father, and now Alfred is the keeper of that flame. The turning point for Julien Alfred came when her talent was discovered while she was studying at the University of Texas. Born in 2003, she was quickly recruited into the University of Texas athletics team, where she was coached by Edrick Floreal, who had previously trained European 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith. A shy and reserved girl, Alfred's potential was fully realized under Floreal's guidance. "He was my father, my mentor, and my coach. Competing in athletics at the highest level always comes with pressure. I appreciate what Floreal has done, not just for his coaching philosophy, but also as a person. He treated me like a real person, not just an athlete," Alfred emphasized. Over the course of his five years competing at the college level in the United States, Julien Alfred achieved numerous successes. At the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 National Collegiate Athletics Championships (NCAA), Alfred won the 100m and 4x100m relays (outdoor) and the 60m and 200m relays (indoor).
Extraordinary willpower
However, Julien Alfred is different because she developed herself from a pure school runner to a professional. "That's a difficult adjustment that many kids can't make, with so many obstacles. Alfred is so talented," coach Floreal shared about his student. The immense willpower of the girl who once ran barefoot on the sandy shores of Saint Lucia has propelled Alfred step by step to the top. After completing her university career, she beat Richardson in the 100m at the Istvan Gyulai Athletics Championships in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.
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At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August of that year, Alfred excelled, reaching the women's 100m final and finishing fifth, 0.28 seconds behind Richardson, who won the overall title. She also finished fourth in the 200m, behind Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and American athletes Gabrielle Thomas and Richardson. That success continued into 2024, when Alfred won the 60m at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in March with a time of 6.98 seconds, securing Saint Lucia's 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 stems from relentless effort, not a fleeting moment of brilliance. "In just 11 fateful seconds, Julien Alfred reached his dream," USA Today commented. "I've always believed that suffering is nothing compared to the potential for brilliance that lies within each of us," Alfred affirmed. In the afterlife, Julian Hamilton would be very proud of his daughter!
