Justin Gatlin lauds Julien Alfred's mindset following her victory at the Paris Olympics. (Images by Getty)

Justin Gatlin praises Julien Alfred's "Don't play with me, you understand" attitude after her historic 100m gold at Paris Olympics 2024

Modified Aug 04, 2024 11:43 GMT

Justin Gatlin recently praised Julien Alfred after her glorious feat at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Alfred dominated the 2024 Olympic women's 100m event to become the first athlete to win an Olympic medal for Saint Lucia, an eastern Caribbean island country.

She defeated the clear favorite, Sha'Carri Richardson, after registering a national record of a whopping 10.72 seconds. Richardson and her teammate Melissa Jefferson secured the silver and bronze medals after clocking 10.87 seconds and 10.92 seconds, respectively.

Following Alfred's remarkable feat, Gatlin highlighted the St. Lucian sprinter's intense focus and determination during the Games. Commending her fierce demeanor, calling it "dark mode", and her determination to succeed, Gatlin highlighted the difference as compared to her previous races.

"You could tell that when she lined up for the semis and she lined up for that finals, she went deep because usually you watch her, she's out there waving to the crowd. But when she was in that semis, she went dark mode on y'all boy, them eyes."

Further, Gatlin admired Alfred's mentality by calling it a "Don't play with me, you understand" attitude.

"Don't play with me. She looked like and she showed that again for the final. 'Don't play with me, you understand'? They might be dropping off, but I'm about to drop everybody off," Gatlin remarked.

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"I woke up and wrote it down" - Julien Alfred on how she manifested her victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Julien Alfred of Team Saint Lucia celebrates after winning the gold medal during the Women's 100m Final in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Julien Alfred's victory became more significant as she clinched the first Olympic medal, moreover a gold medal for her nation.

In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com after the race, she claimed that she manifested her victory a few hours before the race. Alfred admitted that she wrote down her goal on a paper on the morning of the final.

"I woke up and wrote it down, 'Julien Alfred, Olympic champion'," she said.

“I wasn’t sure how to look at myself at the time, whether as a young Olympian or not. But I think that was the beginning of something great. Growing up, I’ve always said I wanted to be one of Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medallists, 'First gold medallists at the Olympic Games'," she added.

The Saint Lucian squads have been competing at the Olympic Games since the 1996 Atlanta Games, with their first medal-winning moment to occur in the French capital.