Julien Alfred is definitely one of the Athletes of the Year candidates. She put Saint Lucia on the world map with her World Indoor 60m and Olympic 100m titles. The 23-year-old sprint star is a proud ambassador for the small Caribbean island, even though she hasn’t lived there since she was 14 and a Jamaican is her true idol. “I always wanted to be Usain Bolt,” said Alfred, who is aiming to shine one last time this season in the 100m at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme on Friday and claim the Wanda Diamond League title for the first time.
New Olympic champion Julien Alfred and reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson will be the big favourites in the 100 metres on Friday evening at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
Speaking on her duel with Sha’Carri Richardson
Last week in Zurich, at the last qualifying meeting of the Wanda Diamond League, Richardson defeated Alfred in an epic race. “I don’t want to talk about revenge,” said Alfred. “I never race against anyone; I do it for myself, and I just want to finish the season in a good way. For the same reason, I don’t worry about the time either.”
Alfred is reaping the benefits of her sacrifices, which saw her leave St. Lucia as a teenager to kickstart her career and accomplish her dreams. “When I was 14, I moved from St. Lucia to Jamaica,” Alfred reasoned. “Without my mother or siblings. My father died when I was 12. My mother had put a note in my suitcase that said, ‘Follow your dream.’ And that’s exactly what Julien Alfred did. In Jamaica and then in Texas, she worked hard to achieve her dream: to become a top professional athlete.
Usain Bolt inspired Alfred.
The dream was even more explicit. “I always wanted to be Usain Bolt, ever since I was a little girl,” Alfred confided. “He was more than just my idol. It’s incredible what he accomplished in his career. Unfortunately, I never met him. I also admire Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce enormously.”
Kim Gevaert, still the holder of the Belgian 100m record and director of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meeting for several years, is not surprised that 2024 has become the year of Julien Alfred’s big breakthrough. “We saw it coming for several years, her good times, her fifth place at the world championships last year, the progression she kept making. At the Olympic Games, she was the big favorite for gold for me. She also has a very beautiful running style. It’s a pleasure to see her in action,” said Gevaert. “Thank you for this nice compliment, it’s very nice to hear,” Alfred reacted during the press conference.