Julien Alfred in the incredible 2024. spent Deji Ogeyingbo’s season features a tremendously talented sprinter from St. Lucia. We have many great athletes in the US and many times we take that gift for granted. Deji reminds us that St Lucians certainly don’t with Julien Alfred, Olympic medalist in the 100m (gold) and 200m (silver). What a season!
How Julien Alfred became the queen of sprinting in 2024
At the beginning of 2024, Julien Alfred probably had one goal: to get off the podium at the Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old sprint sensation from St. Lucia was no stranger to expectations, but what transpired during the year exceeded even his wildest dreams. In a season full of surprises and high drama, Alfred emerged as the undisputed number one sprinter in women’s track and field, especially in the 100m.
Alfred’s journey to stardom began this year when she claimed the women’s 60m indoor title in Glasgow in March. This win set the tone for the year and gave a glimpse of what was to come. He followed this early triumph with a string of victories on the Diamond League circuit, building momentum ahead of the highly anticipated Paris Olympics. But the real breakthrough came when he did the unthinkable. Alfred won the Olympic 100m title ahead of some of the biggest names in running, including favourite, Sha Curry Richardson.
The Olympic final was a defining moment for Alfred, but his journey had been building up to this point for years. The potential was always there, but 2024 was the year it all clicked. Initially, all eyes were on the likes of Shelley-Anne Fraser-Pryce, who many thought would get her swan song at the Paris Games. Elaine Thompson-Hera, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Rio and Tokyo, was also in the conversation, as was Richardson, who had long been tipped to break America’s drought in the 100m at the Olympics.
Richardson was the talk of the town leading up to the games. Many thought the American was destined for gold after she stormed through the heats and looked unstoppable. However, Alfred pulled off the first upset in the semi-finals by defeating Richardson, raising doubts about whether the American star could come back for a fairytale victory in the final.
Alfred’s victory in the final was not only a victory for him, but a monumental achievement for the tiny Caribbean island of St. Lucia, which has a population of less than 200,000. At just 23 years old, Alfred became the country’s first ever Olympic medalist, a fact that cemented his name in history. Her time of 10.72s not only secured her the gold, but also set a new Saint Lucia national record, placing her in the top 10 fastest women of all time. She won by an astonishing 0.15 seconds, the biggest margin in an Olympic women’s 100m final since Fraser-Pryce won in Beijing in 2008.
For most athletes with a 60m background, maintaining top speed over the 100m can be difficult. However, Alfred has proven time and time again that he is not like most sprinters. His ability to carry his speed across the finish line has been consistent throughout the season, a testament to his talent and thorough preparation. The 2024 season saw the end of Jamaica’s dominance in the Olympic women’s 100m, a streak that lasted the last four Olympics.
Athletics is rarely a straightforward journey. Injuries, coaching changes and the pressures of competing at the highest level can derail even the most promising careers. But Alfred has weathered some of these storms, and his rise in 2024 shows his maturity and readiness for the big stage. Alfred, although always a strong contender, was not expected to come out on top. But he was quietly knocking on the door of greatness, and Paris was the perfect stage to announce his arrival.
Despite the fact that he wasn’t a complete newcomer to the global trailer scene, having dominated the NCAA circuit and becoming the world indoor champion earlier in the year, Alfred’s talent had yet to fully permeate the mainstream conversation. Winning Olympic gold in Paris changed all that. He followed that up a month later to win the Diamond League title in Zurich.
As for Alfred, the significance of his victory cannot be overstated. Saint Lucia has never seen a star like him and the island nation is no doubt pleased with his success. He returned to action a few days ago in Saint Lucia, where tens of thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate his achievements this season. This was not his first comeback celebration, as the Saint Lucian government had already honored his sporting achievements in the summer of 2022.
Alfred himself remains humble and grounded despite his meteoric rise to the top. Referring to his Olympic success, he said at a recent press conference. “It was good. I was really enjoying the process and just really taking in what happened in Paris, but I wasn’t getting ahead of myself. I’m just trying to take it one step at a time.”
The future looks incredibly bright for Alfred, but at the end of the day, he would look back on 2024 as his watershed moment.
