We chat about the changing moments of life with 100 MM Champion, wearing the nation’s hopes and leaving it all on the track
Oslo and Julie Alfred have dinner plans on Tuesday. There is a 24-year birthday to celebrate his own for an hour, but despite that, the involvement of his application, which is still wearing in his footsteps, is time than happy.
He is in the Norwegian capital to compete in the Bislett Games, where he will continue to run his first 100 m at 10.89. Just a few days later, he would go down to the Baua Gallan Diigand League in Stockholm 10.90, which was set by Irina Greenova in 1990 by running 10.75. The fact that he was relieved when he was hit by the line when he registered the second fastest time in the world, testified that once, St. Louchian said who was beaten at the Summer General Championship.
He closes his first anniversary in Paris, when he poured through the rain, emphasizing the emphasis on the Olympic gold and not only his native people who had never had an Olympic medalist.
Now in St. Louchia, he is a national holiday named Alfred, but we are discussing a number of topics, including the work of the day, where he works like Dina Asher-Smith.
How young you were when you realized that you had a special talent.
I joined a club about 10 years old when I was in the fourth grade after being recognized by my PE Teacher. When I moved against boys and my school girls, I will always win each race. If I lost, I would cry. I think I realized that I was fast. When my father died (in 2013) I stopped running, but when I started again, I took it seriously.
I left my house at a 14-year-old age, go to Ama Amaya, so I had already adapted to live in a bigger country. St. Lucia has only 180,000 people. The food is different, and the United States is enormous. The way to live is just different, but it wasn’t a big difference where I need to make a huge adjustment to it.
In the 2023 World Cups, you finished the fourth in 200 m and fifth. A year later, it was the first and second. Which differentiated.
Hard work. 2023 was a long collegial season. Most people don’t understand this, but I think I’ve run more than 50 races in the year, trying to train, trying to understand that I was tired. I realized that 2023 is a long time since I remembered, I met my agent and he said. I think that having such a wonderful team around me has definitely made a huge difference in my ability to jump from such disappointment in world championships.
Last year, how important is the victory of the world’s 60 m on the world as a step in Paris?
How long would you think that it will help me during the preparation of Paris? I had a lot of doubts. I used to put it so pressure on myself when I got up after that. Some may think that it will bring me more confident, but it was definitely not. I just allowed me to be more difficult on myself, I made me feel every time I walked on the line now, but I have to present it not only for myself, but for my people.
You still wear that pressure to win for St. Lucia.
I don’t put any pressure on me when it comes to my little island (now) because I see me as a dark horse. No one doesn’t talk about it very much, and no one really cares. Do you follow Ama’s amate or Americans? I’m not against. I love being a dark horse. I like to talk. It’s always a pleasure that represents the small island St. Lucia. And there are advantages. We do not have choice testing to negotiate.
There was a moment when you just thought suddenly. “Waa, I’m an Olympic champion.”
There was a few seconds when it hit me, and you would probably see that I was crying at those moments. That’s when I realized what happened, how my life changed and just realized that it was a dream when I passed that line.
When I reached the area when I returned to my clothes, I realized that I had literally won the Olympic Games, but also to see that my father was not there. Every time you saw, I was emotional, it was a moment that I understood. “Wow, I’m really a champion.”
Do you feel the Olympic Games have changed you?
Did it change me? It’s a great question. I would say, for the most part, no. I’m still the same person. However, it has definitely caused me to be much more confident in me and took some doubt that I had inside me, seeing where I was and what I did. Being around good athletes and just do what I did in Paris I think it changed me to the better. So I would say “yes” but I’m still the same Julen.
When you went to America college, the training changed radically.
I remember my first training when we did 6 x 200 m. For the first two I was flying, and then the last four I could barely make it on the line. That’s how difficult it was and I had to learn that program. I didn’t really have increased weights and I’m raising us twice a week. It is necessary to adapt to the new program, the new coach, the new environment, the new teammates were definitely something that required for some time. And sometimes I’d just cry. I wanted to go home because it was just so hard.
Tell me about the coach flirter
He is like a father figure, an obvious coach, and an educator for us. Healways ensures that he is the best person that he can be for us to be able to go to the track and ourselves for our goals to coincide with us. He is just an amazing person.
What is your training on the moment?
Frankly, I’m not sure how much I can share when it comes to, because my coach defines the program. At this point, we try to focus on the basic things like the technique, my blocks are just trying to improve small things. It took a long time to achieve this moment because we worked on my strength and many other things. In general, we are just a place where we try to ensure that everything goes smoothly so that the big dance leads, I’m ready for it.
If we had a crystal ball and we might look forward to 10 years, you think you will get more than 100 m or 200 m.
That’s a good question. My coach thinks I’m a good runner of 200m but would say 100m. I worked on 200m this year, trying to change my mindset over it.
I just like to run more than 100m 200 m. When I was in college, I always said I didn’t like 200, but that’s a lot to change. I enjoy it now, I’m learning how to deal with it and learn to trust my strength more because I have a lot more power. However, I would say that 100m is just an event I really love and I don’t know if it will ever change.
Also I don’t think I bend well runner but my coach doesn’t disagree. I have been very much very leg in college relatives quite a lot, but I think I have a lot of work to do when it comes to driving better. It just takes practice to become a good bending runner, I hoped and it’s something I’m working on now.
What is Dina Asher-Smith as a study partner?
It’s competitive. Because Dinah and I do the same events we drive each other to training. Do you know how the Bible says: “Iron escalates iron” and I think we are wonderful for each other as training partners. Where he is strong in one place and work on another place and we help tighten each other. I think he brought a lot to the group and we push each other to get better.
From St. Luci from Austi, where I know nothing, he helped me. I think it’s hard to be in your hometown. Moving away from home can have its own benefits for Dinah as much as me.
What are the hopes and plans for the next few years?
I want to give the best shot in the next few years I can achieve what I can achieve at a very young age. It is obvious that everyone wants to win large championships, and I want the same for me, but now it just gives the rest of me and my career and quizzing.
