Julien Alfred on the joy and sacrifice of becoming Olympic 100m champion: “My motivation is to be the best in the world”

Around 335 million people live in the USA, the country that has produced the largest number of women’s Olympic 100m champions.

Jamaica, the nation where each of the Olympic 100m gold medallists from Beijing 2008 to Tokyo 2020 was born, has a population of just over 2.8 million.

But at Paris 2024, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, a Caribbean island with a population of just 180,000, stormed to victory in the blue ribband event of Olympic athletics.

And of course, she did not just beat the best of America and Jamaica. Her win in France’s capital earned her the title of the fastest woman on a planet of over 8 billion people.

“I’m a damn proud Lucian forever and always,” the 23-year-old said in an interview with Olympics.com, as she reflected on winning the first-ever Olympic medal in Saint Lucia’s history. “It’s always a pleasure representing my country on the global stage and putting my flag on the map — my country on the map — is always an amazing feeling.”

While Alfred is clearly proud of her against-all-odds Olympic gold, it is her time spent training as a teenager in the USA and Jamaica — the traditional breeding grounds of champions — that formed her into the world-beating athlete she is today.

“One of the reasons I went to Jamaica was because of the sprint culture,’ she said. “You know, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Usain Bolt, Elaine Thompson-Herah, all these amazing athletes. Wanting to be a part of that culture.

“And when you hear Jamaica, you know about sprinting, the top athletes. So I made a decision along with my childhood coach and my mum for me to go to Jamaica, to come to train and continue my career in track & field.”

Self-denial and sacrifice - the making of Julien Alfred

While training in Jamaica, and later in the American collegiate system with the Texas Longhorns, helped transform Alfred’s raw talent into a skillset that could compete on the world stage, the fruits of her labour are also the result of real sacrifice.

Leaving friends, family and her beloved home island to run after a far-off dream took courage, and the type of dedication many would baulk at.

After all, becoming the fastest woman on the planet is no easy task.

“The sacrifice to leave my family at a tender age, the age of 14, to just chase my dreams, it was definitely a tough decision for me,” she explained.

But distance was only one of the hardships an up-and-coming Alfred had to deal with as she began her journey to the highest echelons of sprinting.

“Also my dad passing away in 2013,” she replied when asked about the biggest challenge she has faced in her career to date. “I actually stopped track & field during that time, just grieving for him.

“And injuries. Injuries have definitely affected my journey as well. But I mean, it made me stronger. There have been so many things that I can’t pick one but I think all those challenges that I’ve been through have prepared me for what’s to come in my life.”

An unforgettable homecoming as Saint Lucia welcomes back its first Olympic champion

While Alfred’s sporting life took her away from her beloved Saint Lucia, the happiness she brought to her nation when she won Olympic gold is hard to fathom.

And while the memories of leaving the island stand as one of her greatest challenges, her return after her victory in Paris will be something she remembers forever.

“It was very overwhelming,” she said of the hero’s welcome she received when she travelled back to the island after her season ended in September. “I felt loved and supported by my fellow Saint Lucians. Definitely not what I expected, in the way that the love they poured into me. But overall it was really exciting — an amazing four days back on home soil and I really enjoyed the celebrations.”

While the welcome Alfred received was evidence of how proud her countrypeople are of her, there are plans in place to make sure the island never forgets the historic exploits of the Olympic champion.

After the government of the country declared 27 September 2024 “Julien Alfred Day”, another honour was bestowed upon Saint Lucia’s most famous sportsperson.

“The Millenium Highway is going to be renamed after me,” Alfred said of the kilometre-long road that winds along the northwest of the island.

It more than likely won't be the last memorial celebrating the greatest sporting achievement in the history of the nation.

What motivates Julien Alfred in this new stage of her career?

The current women’s sprint scene is one of the fastest and most competitive in history. Not only does it make Alfred’s victory in Paris even more impressive, it also shows just how prepared she will need to be to retain the title of ‘world’s fastest woman’.

But while the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson and others will be itching to beat Alfred in the upcoming world championship season, the Saint Lucian is motivated by much more than the rivals that stand next to her on the starting line.

“For me, it’s just getting to the point that I want to get to, working hard towards that, putting my country on the map, proving to myself that I belong among the great athletes,” she explained, before adding: “My motivation is to be the best in the world, to be my best self, the best athlete I can be and to prove to myself that I belong here. That’s my source of motivation.”

And what would be her answer to those suggesting Florence Griffith-Joyner’s decades-old 100m record of 10.49 seconds could fall into her hands?

“That’s not on my bingo, like it’s not on my list whatsoever," she said, before turning her attention to the future goals that do still motivate her.

“Whatever time comes with winning an Olympic gold or world championships, then so be it.’