OSLO, Norway— Julien Alfred couldn’t stop smiling. The Olympic 100-meter champion from Saint Lucia finally met her childhood hero, Usain Bolt, on Wednesday evening at Bislett Stadium — a moment that had been more than a decade in the making.
“He’s been my idol since I was younger,” Alfred said, beaming after the encounter. “I always wanted to be just like him, and I went to school in Jamaica for three years — didn’t meet him — and I finally get a chance to meet him, so it’s such an honour.”
Alfred, 23, attended St. Catherine High School in Jamaica, a country where sprinting is part of the national identity and Bolt is nothing short of royalty. Though she trained and competed on the island, their paths never crossed — until now.
Bolt, the fastest man in history and an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, was a surprise guest at the pre-meet press gathering ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League event in Oslo. While other stars like Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm discussed the favorable weather, Alfred’s highlight came in a handshake, a photo, and a few words exchanged with the legend who inspired her.
Bolt, 37, retired in 2017 but still casts a long shadow over the sport. His world records of 9.58 in the 100m and 19.19 in the 200m remain untouched. For athletes like Alfred, who watched him from afar during her teenage years, Bolt’s influence is deeply personal.
“He showed me that someone from the Caribbean could rule the world,” Alfred said. “That stuck with me.”
Now, Alfred is carving out her own legacy. After her silver in Budapest last summer, she’s aiming for gold in Tokyo.
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