WATCH: Julien Alfred receives warm welcome upon return to Saint Lucia after Paris Olympics heroics

Julien Alfred, who dominated the 100m dash at the Paris Olympics 2024, recently returned to her hometown, St. Lucia. She received a warm welcome from the government and the public through a victory parade.

Alfred won the 100m dash, as she clocked 10.72s and stood atop the podium, besting the event's favorite Sha'Carri Richardson, who claimed the silver medal by recording a time of 10.87s. The third place was secured by Melissa Jefferson, who clocked 10.92s. Apart from this, Alfred competed in the 200m discipline, where she clinched a silver medal by clocking 22.08s. Here, she was bested by Gabby Thomas, who recorded 21.83s.

Days after her Paris Olympics exploits, Alfred returned to St. Lucia where her fans showed their admiration by cheering for the 23-year-old. Additionally, the prime minister of St. Lucia has declared September 27 as 'Julien Alfred Day,' a public holiday. She entered her hometown in a blue car with her picture printed on the bonnet. CITIUS Mag shared the video of the athlete's grand welcome on X. The post's caption read:

"After winning the first-ever Olympic medals for Saint Lucia, Julien Alfred finally returned home and was welcomed by thousands of adoring fans."

Here is the video of her welcome:

Julien Alfred opened up about winning gold at the Paris Olympics

Alfred reflected on her gold medal win at the Paris Olympics in a post-race interview with Olympics.com. She dedicated her win to her father, who died in 2013, and showcased gratitude towards God and her coach.

"Most importantly, God, my coach, and lastly, my dad, who believed that I could do it," Julien Alfred said. "He passed away in 2013, and now he couldn’t get to see me on the biggest stage of my career. But he’ll always be so boastful of his daughter being an Olympian."

Along with this, she spoke about her mainfestations about the win, saying:

"I woke up and wrote it down, 'Julien Alfred, Olympic champion.' So I think believing in myself really was important."

The athlete added:

"I wasn’t sure how to look at myself at that time, whether as a young Olympian or not. But I think that was the beginning of something great… that also influenced my choices, coming into college. Growing up, I’ve always said I wanted to be one of Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medallists."

Alfred became the first athlete from St. Lucia to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games.