by Elliott Denman
This is Elliott Denman’s sixth column on the 2024 Paris Olympics! Elliott is our most enduring writer, having written for American Athletics in 1990, American Track & Field, 1994-2016, and RunBlogRun since 2007. Elliot Denman was a 1956 Olympian at the 50k race walk.
”SANTA LUCIA, SANTA LUCIA.”
STILL REVERBERATING,
FROM THE BRONX TO PARIS
By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Way back when….
Not all the grammar school kids at Public School 21, 225th Street,
The Bronx, New York, appreciated being called to the auditorium
and asked to chorus out as one, with appropriate gusto, the
words of “Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.”
And in Italian.
Which translated as follows:
“On the sea, it shines the silvery star, the wave is placid, the wind is prosperous,
on the sea, it shines the silvery star, the wave is placid, the wind is prosperous,
come y’all to my boat, Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia! “
(Thanks to the Evokfas Co. for those translated lyrics.)
My long-remembered personal view: “Hadn’t our teachers ever heard of separation of church and state?”
Well, a whole lot of years have flown by. I eventually learned we weren’t
singing a hymn. This had nothing to do with religion,
After many trips around the sun, I’ve broadened my view.
I can now tell you that “Santa Lucia” is a terrific, inspirational tune. And ecumenical.
Mario Lanza, Luciano Pavarotti, Sergio Franchi, et al, have worked their
vocal wonders with “Santa Lucia” over the years.
And, if you’re any kind of an Olympic fan, you’ll be wanting to join the
“Santa Lucia” chorus regularly now, too
Thank you, then, Ms. Julien Alfred.
Her Southeast Caribbean island of Saint Lucia is a long, long way from the heel and boot of the Italian peninsula. But the connection is beginning to ring out.
It took just 32.80 seconds at Stade de France to happen.
After claiming the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter dash final at the Paris Games, a clear winner over USA’s hugely heralded Sha’Carri Richardson, Ms. Alfred returned to the stadium and its 75,000-plus daily, totally-immersed track fans to take silver and beat all the world with the sole exception of USA’s Gabby Thomas.
Of course, those gold and silver medals prompted inquiries in various directions.
Who is this young lady? Where’d she come from? Just how in the world did she get so fast? And – most often – just where is this place named Saint Lucia?
It didn’t take long for the prying media to get its answers.
World Athletics answered many of them:
“Julien Alfred’s story is one of immense resilience and passion,” WA told us.
“At just 12 years old, she lost her father, who had always been her biggest cheerleader.
“ He’d always be so boastful of his daughter being a future Olympian,” the new queen of the sprints told WA.
“The heartache of losing him led her to step away from running for two years. But their love for the sport rekindled, and with it came a realization: to truly excel, she needed to leave her comfort zone.
“In 2015, she took a bold step and moved to Jamaica, enrolling at St. Catherine High School. This gamble paid off, setting her on a path to greatness.”
Her travels continued. The next big move was to the University of
Texas. And she truly blossomed out at Austin, claiming multi-golds in the Big 12 and NCAA Championships and a lot more, thus setting the stage for Paris.
On the day of the Olympic final, she spent the morning watching videos of Usain Bolt’s iconic victories for Jamaica. In her journal, she made a solemn promise: “Julien Alfred, Olympic champion.”
It became a reality in 10.72 seconds, as she bested USA champion Richardson’s 10.87.
Promise fulfilled, she cried her heart out. Tears flowed in profusion.
And the joy flowed all the way back to Saint Lucia.
Even before she returned to the track and claimed the silver medal in the 200, running 22.08 back of USA’s Gabby Thomas (21.87), Saint Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre expressed his joy to Jamaica radio station Nationwide90FM.
“August 3 would be ‘Juju Day” in her honor.
What a sensational Game it was for the small (and not-so-small) islands of the Caribbean.
Thea LaFond won the women’s triple jump for Dominica…which is just a short ferry ride from Saint Lucia.
Marieledy Paulino won the women’s 400 for the Dominican Republic.
Budapest, Hungary
August 19-27, 2023, by Kevin Morris
Apart from Kishane Thompson, millimeters back of Noah Lyles in the men’s 100, Jamaica’s sprinters sputtered…but let’s hear it for Jamaica’s Olympic discus king, Roje Stona.
OK, Jordan Alejandro Díaz (Spain), Pedro Pichardo (Portugal), and Andy Hernandez (Italy) have their new allegiances. Still, please extend a share of their gold-silver-bronze triple jump sweep glory to Cuba, the land of their birth.
Grenada’s Lindon Victor (decathlon) and Anderson Peters (javelin) claimed bronzes, and teammate/four-time Olympic great Kirani James snared fifth in the 400 in 43.87, and that was even faster than his gold medal time of 43.94 at the 2012 London Games.
Reigning Olympic 100 hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico fell short in her title defense but still claimed a bronze.
And in a factoid, few Americans would note, the joy of USAer Rai Benjamin’s stunning conquest of Norway’s Karsten Warholm in the 400 hurdles stretched to Antigua and Barbuda.
The Benjamin family’s roots are in Antigua, where his dad, Winston Benjamin, had been a brilliant international cricket player.
Even after the Benjamins moved to Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York, Rai had a fling at racing for Team A&B.
He made the switch to Team USA only after appearing in the 2013 World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Mount Vernon, of course, is due north of The Bronx. And The Bronx is NYC’s only mainland-attached borough.
And that brings this story full circle.
“Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia” – the song and the island – still reverberates.
By way of The Bronx and Paris.
