by Deji Ogeyingbo
Julien Alfred had an incredible 2024. Deji Ogeyingbo puts the season in perspective for the tremendously talented sprinter from Saint Lucia! In the U.S., we have a plethora of great athletes, and many times, we take that gift for granted. Deji reminds us that the people of Saint Lucia sure do not do that with Julien Alfred, who won Olympic medals in the 100m (gold) and 200m (silver). What a season!
How Julien Alfred became the queen of sprinting in 2024
At the start of 2024, Julien Alfred likely had one goal in mind—to secure a podium finish at the Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old sprint sensation from St. Lucia was no stranger to expectations, but what unfolded over the course of the year exceeded even her wildest dreams. In a season filled with surprises and high drama, Alfred emerged as arguably the number one sprinter in women’s track and field, particularly in the 100m.
Alfred’s journey to stardom this year began when she claimed the women’s 60m indoor title in Glasgow in March. This victory set the tone for the year and gave a glimpse of what was to come. She followed up this early triumph with a string of wins on the Diamond League circuit, building momentum ahead of the highly anticipated Paris Olympics. But the real breakthrough came when she did the unthinkable. Alfred claimed the Olympic 100m title, outpacing a field of track’s biggest names, including the favorite, Sha’Carri Richardson.
The Olympic final was a defining moment for Alfred, but her journey had been building to this point for years. The potential had always been there, but 2024 was the year everything clicked. All eyes were initially on the likes of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who many thought would get her swan song at the Paris Games. Elaine Thompson-Herah, a double 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 event at the Olympics.
Richardson had been the talk of the town leading up to the games. Many believed the American was destined for gold after she stormed through the heats and appeared unstoppable. However, in the semifinals, Alfred delivered the first shock by defeating Richardson, raising doubts about whether the American star could come back for a fairytale win in the final.
Alfred’s victory in the final wasn’t just a win for her—it was a monumental achievement for the small Caribbean island of St. Lucia, a nation with a population of under 200,000. At just 23 years old, Alfred became the country’s first-ever Olympic medalist, a fact that etched her name in history. Her time of 10.72s not only secured her the gold but also set a new St. Lucian national record, placing her among the top 10 fastest women of all time. She won by a staggering 0.15 seconds, the largest margin in an Olympic women’s 100-meter final since Fraser-Pryce’s victory in 2008 in Beijing.
For most athletes with a background in the 60m, maintaining top-end speed over the full 100 meters can be challenging. However, Alfred has proven time and again that she is not like most sprinters. Her ability to carry her speed through the finish line has been consistent all season, a testament to her talent and meticulous preparation. The 2024 season saw the end of Jamaica’s dominance in the Olympic women’s 100m, a streak that had lasted through the past 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 her rise in 2024 demonstrates her maturity and readiness for the big stage. Alfred, though always a strong contender, wasn’t widely expected to come out on top. But she had been quietly knocking on the door of greatness, and Paris was the perfect stage to announce her arrival.
Despite not being a complete newcomer to the global track scene—she had dominated the NCAA circuit and became the World Indoor Champion earlier in the year—Alfred’s talent had yet to fully break through in mainstream conversations. Winning the Olympic gold in Paris changed all of that. She followed it up a month later to win the Diamond League title in Zurich.
As for Alfred, the significance of her victory cannot be overstated. St. Lucia had never seen a track star quite like her, and the island nation is undoubtedly basking in her success. She returned to a heroes welcome in Saint Lucia few days ago with tens of thousands of people out on the streets celebrating her achievements this season. This wasn’t her first homecoming celebration, as the Saint Lucian government had already honored her athletic achievements in the summer of 2022.
Alfred herself remains humble and grounded, despite her meteoric rise to the top. Reflecting on her Olympic success, she said in a recent press conference, “It’s been good; I’ve really been enjoying the process and just really taking in what happened in Paris, but just not 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, she would look back at 2024 as her watershed moment.
