Brussels Diamond League 2024 - Source: Getty — Julien Alfred recounts her homecoming [Image Source : Getty]

"I was overwhelmed" - Julien Alfred recounts her homecoming after winning Saint Lucia's very first Olympic medal at Paris 2024

Modified Dec 21, 2024 05:06 GMT

St. Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred recently recalled the moment when she arrived at St. Lucia after her historic achievements at the Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old sprinter talked about the moment at The Bowerman Presentation, where American sprinter and Olympic silver medalist Sha'Carri Richardson was also present.

In the conversation with the host, Alfred was asked how she felt when she arrived home after the Paris Olympics. In her words,

"I was overwhelmed...... I was just bombarded with lots of love on the plane, at the airport by my fellow St. Lucians. Just stepping off the plane, and the welcome I received, is truly motivating for me. You know I really love my country, and how they continue not to disappoint me."

Previously, Alfred was appointed as the Tourism Ambassador for Saint Lucia after her achievements at the Paris Olympics. Alfred penned an emotional note on Instagram to express her thoughts as she wrote,

"September 26th was truly a special day for me. I’ve always taken much pride in representing my country both on or off the track, but being officially announced as a Tourism Ambassador and being the Tourism Gimie Awardee for 2024, brings me an unwavering amount of joy."

Julien Alfred created history by winning the first two Olympic medals for Saint Lucia in the entire history of the Summer Olympics. She won a gold medal in women's 100m, followed by a silver medal in the 200m event.

Julien Alfred's performances in the 2024 season

Julien Alfred had an eventful season in 2024. Though she had a silver medal from the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics to her credit, and her performance at the Budapest World Championships 2023 was well above average, the St. Lucian sprinter was not considered amongst the top bets for an Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics, especially in the 100m event.

However, Alfred had other ideas. The 23-year-old sprinter began her 2024 season on an impressive note with a world-leading time of 6.98 seconds in the 60m dash at the World Indoor Athletics Championships held in Glasgow. In June 2024, Alfred clocked a lifetime best of 10.78 seconds at an athletic meet in Kingston, making her a strong contender for an Olympic medal.

At the Paris Olympics, everyone had high hopes for Sha'Carri Richardson, who was expected to end the gold medal drought for female American sprinters at the Olympics in style. However, in the finals, Alfred gave it her all to surprise everyone with a national record performance of 10.72 seconds, which gave St. Lucia their first-ever Olympic medal.

Alfred expected to repeat her performance in the 200m event. However, her American compatriot, Gabby Thomas was well prepared. In an intense contest, Thomas outpaced Alfred to win the Olympic gold medal. Despite finishing second, Alfred had created history, returning home with two historic Olympic medals.

Julien Alfred ended 2024 on an impressive note when she won the Diamond League trophy. She won the Diamond League finals with a timing of 10.88 seconds, becoming the first-ever St. Lucian athlete to achieve so.