"No better place to start" - Julien Alfred begins her first charity for the Julien Alfred Foundation from her primary school

Olympic champion Julien Alfred commenced her first charity program for her NGO, the Julien Alfred Foundation. The sprinter from Saint Lucia recently organized pre-Christmas celebrations for her primary school.

The Julien Alfred Foundation organized a charity event at the Ciceron RC Combined School, where Alfred completed her primary education. The 24-year-old sprinter was also present at the moment through video conferencing and cheered the young students up with a pep talk.

Alfred uploaded glimpses of her experience at her alma mater on her Instagram stories. In the very first story, she wrote in the caption,

"First event for JAF. No better place to start than at my primary school"

Screengrab of Julien Alfred's Instagram stories [Image Source : Julien Alfred's Instagram]

Previously, Alfred was also chosen as the Tourism Ambassador for the government of Saint Lucia. In an emotional post on Instagram, the athlete wrote,

"I’ve always taken much pride in representing my country both on or off the track, but being officially announced as a Tourism Ambassador and being the Tourism Gimie Awardee for 2024, brings me an unwavering amount of joy. A huge thank you to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority for allowing this young girl from Ciceron, with a dream to receive such prestigious titles."

Julien Alfred had ended her 2024 athletic season on a high after winning the Diamond League finals in 100m. This victory was a first for any athlete from Saint Lucia.

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Julien Alfred on her rough childhood

Julien Alfred on her rough childhood [Image Source : Getty]

Julien Alfred created history for Saint Lucia this year at the Paris Olympics, in both the women's 100m and the 200m events. However, Alfred's journey to Olympic glory was anything but smooth.

In a conversation for part 2 of the Netflix documentary 'Sprint', the athlete had remarked:

"Never imagined myself here. I grew up in poverty. There would be like, gunshots, like throughout the night. It was a very like rough community, a rough childhood. I just thought that I can use my talent to get out of the ghetto. It's been a hell of a ride," she said.

However, once coach Edrick Floreal recognized her potential, there was no looking back. Alfred was admitted to the University of Texas by the age of 17 years, where she transformed into a champion athlete.

Julien Alfred created history for Saint Lucia by winning their first ever Olympic medal, when she won the 100m event with a national record of 10.72 seconds. She further won a silver medal in the 200m event, finishing behind Gabby Thomas of the USA.