"Slow your heart rate down" - Julien Alfred's coach's final words before 100m medal race at Paris Olympics revealed

Modified Nov 14, 2024 18:41 GMT

Julien Alfred's coach, Edrick Floreal, gave her some words of encouragement before the 100m final at the Paris Olympics. Alfred became the first Olympic medalist from Saint Lucia.

Alfred entered the quadrennial event with high hopes and she started by winning her heat, clocking 10.95 seconds. The 23-year-old then qualified for the final after clocking 10.84 seconds in her semifinal heat.

Alfred saved her best run for the final, as she clocked 10.72 seconds to win the gold, ahead of Sha'Carri Richardson. She also set a new national record in the process.

Julien Alfred's 100m exploits were covered in the recently released season 2 of Netflix's track and field documentary "Sprint." In the third episode, the 23-year-old's coach, Edrick Floreal, gives her some words of encouragement before the 100m final.

Floreal told Alfred to "slow her heart rate" and have fun while adding that she was made for that stage.

"I'm proud of you. Just have fun. Have fun. Slow you heart rate down, okay? Slow that heart rate down. Keep breathing. Keep breathing, okay? Don't let the moment get the best of you. You were made for this. Come on, baby," the 58-year-old said.

Apart from the 100m gold, Julien Alfred also clinched the 200m silver after clocking 22.08 seconds in the final.

Julien Alfred: "It's such an amazing feeling, knowing that all your hard work and sacrifices finally paid off"

Julien Alfred with her fellow 100m medalists in Paris (Image Source: Getty)

Julien Alfred spoke about her journey while appearing on BBC Woman's Hour and said that crossing the finish line and accomplishing all she worked hard for was an amazing feeling.

The 23-year-old also said that she was screaming at the top of her lungs after winning the 100m gold.

"It's been a long journey, leaving my home at the young age of 14, going to Jamaica, training for three years there, then moving to Texas on my own, spending five years at the University of Texas in Austin," Alfred said.

"So, when you finally cross the line, the thing you've worked so hard for your entire life, when it finally comes through and you've crossed the line first, it's such an amazing feeling. All I could scream was 'Yes, yes, yes.' I was screaming at the top of my lungs but honestly, it's such an amazing feeling, knowing that all your hard work and sacrifices finally paid off," she added.

After the Paris Olympics, Julien Alfred competed at the Zurich Diamond League and finished second in the 100m behind Sha'Carri Richardson after clocking 10.88 seconds in the final. The Saint Lucian then finished her 2024 season after winning the 100m race at the Diamond League Final in Brussels. She once again clocked 10.88 seconds to finish her race.

Besides her Olympic exploits, Alfred also won the 60m gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow earlier this year.