Julien Alfred, the first athlete from St. Lucia to win an Olympic medal, returned home Tuesday to a jubilant reception, with officials declaring Sept. 27 as Julien Alfred Day. The 23-year-old, known as “JuJu,” was celebrated on the eastern Caribbean island where she once ran barefoot as a child.
“I’m truly lost for words,” Alfred said as she addressed Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and other officials before a motorcade was organized for thousands of eager fans, some traveling from as far away as London.
Alfred wore both her gold medal from the 100-meter sprint and her silver from the 200-meter event at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
She expressed her gratitude to her mother, her coach, the government, and her village. “It didn’t come easy. It was truly a rocky road. Many days I just wanted to give up,” she said.
Alfred’s journey was not without its challenges. She stopped running at age 12 after her father’s death, but her coach encouraged her to return to the sport. She later moved to Jamaica as a teenager to train.
Before her Olympic success, Alfred won a gold medal in the 60 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, marking another historic achievement for St. Lucia. At the Olympics, she finished the 100-meter race in 10.72 seconds, defeating favorite Sha’Carri Richardson and dedicating her victory to her father.
