The 100m Olympic champion talked to dozens of children from the club, and also reflected on her path in the sport.
Julien Alfred finally had a chance to catch his breath and reflect on the whirlwind past few years.
After the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, Alfred returned home to St. Lucia and spent time with friends and family, including a long break from social media.
“I should have been with my people,” he says. “They know me for who I am, despite who I am on the track. I got a chance to detox from everything and be around my loved ones.”
Alfred finished third in the world 100m final in the Japanese capital, finishing 10.84 behind American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Jamaica’s Tina Clayton. Citing a grade 1 hamstring strain in the 100m, the 24-year-old then withdrew from the 200m.
Two months after that dark and wet night in Tokyo, Alfred was back on the track again, but this time he spoke to hundreds of children at Highgate Harriers in North London (November 4).
After becoming Saint Lucia’s first-ever gold medalist in Paris last summer, the sprinter has been tapped to be the country’s tourism ambassador, which includes representing her nation on the world stage outside of competition.
As part of Alfred’s trip to London, where she is here on November 6 for the World Travel Market at the Excel Centre, the Olympic 100m champion visited Highgate Harriers with a view to inspiring the next generation.
In his Q&A with Jen Hickson, chairman of Highgate Harriers, Alfred spoke about his journey growing up from St Lucia to Jamaica, the sacrifices he had to make in his life and what it felt like to stand on top of the podium in Paris.
The Q&A was watched by hundreds of children, and throughout the evening people at the club wanted to take pictures with Alfred wherever possible.
Later in the evening, the sprinter sat down at the table AW: and explained the importance of telling his story to the next generation.
“When I was moving from St. Lucia to Jamaica, my mom gave me a note that said, ‘follow your dream,'” says Alfred. “One thing I told one of the young women tonight was to never give up. I could think so many times that I wanted to give up, but I always remembered that post.
“Just seeing how many parents are here watching their kids at practice has been amazing because it means a lot. You know, my father died in 2013, for example. The fact that these kids here look at me like this definitely motivates me to get back on the track as soon as possible.”
Alfred may not have repeated his success from Paris in Tokyo, but he still retained his Diamond League 100m title and clocked a personal best of 21.71 in the 200m this season.
“Tokyo wasn’t what we were hoping for, but I was still shown so much love in St. Lucia,” says Alfred. “Coming out of college and entering the professional world meant that I had to gather a lot of information during that period of my life.
“Usually we all have those bad years, but that wasn’t the case for me. I became an Olympic champion shortly after leaving college. Carrying that heavy crown before Tokyo was a lot, but I have a great team to support me and they helped me along the way.”
Integral to Alfred’s development is Edric Floreal, a nine-time All-American at Arkansas and the current head track coach at the University of Texas. A mentor and father figure to Alfred, Floreal coached the sprinter to the 2022 NCAA 100m title throughout his college career.
“I can’t put into words how much Coach Flo means to me,” explains Alfred. “He’s had such an impact on my life and I’ve grown so much with him. Moreso on the mental side of it, because I was so young, he helped me navigate that side of things.”
Next season could represent another step forward in Alfred’s illustrious career, with strong medal chances at both the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the final World Championships in Budapest. His immediate goal is to recover from a hamstring injury, then, after a trip to London, he will return to Texas to talk with Floreal about his goals for 2026.
