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

AFP

"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 more than 300 athletics medals like the United States? The answer lies in Alfred's own extraordinary desire to rise up in the face of adversity.

Father's Aspiration

Julien Alfred grew up with a dream of athletics on her bare feet, in the capital of Castries of 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 her father Julian Hamilton. The incident happened to Alfred at the age of 12, when her father passed away. Alfred was mentally broken and gave up her dream on the track. However, athletics did not leave Alfred. 2 years later, she decided to leave her hometown of Saint Lucia to go to 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 nodded in agreement. She didn't say I couldn't go. She just said if I wanted to, just do it," Alfred recalled.

AFP

Alfred came to Jamaica with nothing. No family or friends, only a burning dream of athletics ignited by her late father, and now Alfred is the one who keeps the fire burning. 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 athletics team, where she was trained by coach Edrick Floreal, who trained European 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith. Although a shy and timid girl, Alfred was able to unleash her full potential under Floreal's coaching. "He is 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 only from a coaching perspective, but also as a person. He sees 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, Julien Alfred's difference lies in the fact that she has developed herself from a pure school runner to a professional. "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 huge amount of determination of the girl who once ran barefoot on the sands of Saint Lucia has brought Alfred step by step to the top. After completing her university career, she defeated Richardson in the 100m event at the Istvan Gyulai Athletics Championships in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

AFP

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 is a result of hard work, not a flash in the pan. "In just 11 fateful seconds, Julien Alfred reached 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 will be very proud of his daughter!

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhan-to-kiet-xuat-cuc-la-den-tu-dao-quoc-chi-200000-dan-gianh-hcv-olympic-la-ai-18524080416474213.htm