Who is Julien Alfred? All about Saint Lucia sprinter who beat Sha'Carri Richardson to win her country's maiden Olympic medal at Paris 2024

Julien Alfred is a track and field athlete who competes for Saint Lucia in sprinting events. She etched her name in the history books by becoming the Olympic champion in the women's 100m at the Paris Olympics 2024.

In the 100m finals, she recorded a sensational 10.72s to beat the 2023 world champion Sha'Carri Richardson (10.87s). She also got the better of other top names in the final, including Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland, and Marie-Josée Ta Lou from Côte d’Ivoire.

However, Alfred's gold-medal victory was not only a huge personal milestone but also the first medal ever won by Saint Lucia in the history of the Summer Games since they began participating in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Notably, this was also the Caribbean island nation's first medal in the Olympics. Earlier in the evening, she advanced to the finals of the discipline, clocking a sensational 10.84s in the semifinal 2.

Before this, Alfred had qualified for the semifinals with a decent performance in the Round 1 as she clocked a 10.95s to top her heats (Heat 2).Following her remarkable victory in the 100m, she is also expected to give the other sprinters a tough challenge in the women's 200m.

With Julien Alfred scripting history for Saint Lucia, let's dive into knowing more about the sprint star

Julien Alfred’s family and hometown

Alfred was born on June 10, 2001, in Ciceron, Castries, Saint Lucia. She had a difficult childhood as she lost her father at the age of 12.

Julien Alfred’s education

Alfred went to Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School located in Saint Lucia between 2013 and 2015. She attended St. Catherine High School in Jamaica from 2015 to 2018.

She enrolled at the University of Texas mid-year during the 2018-19 academic year, where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Youth & Community Studies.

Julien Alfred’s top achievements

Julien Alfred at the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2024 . (Photo By Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

One of the biggest achievements of Alfred so far is winning the gold medal at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in the women’s 60m where she clocked a sensational time of 6.98s.

Additionally, she has bagged the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in the 100m discipline. She also received the Bowerman award for being the NCAA top female track and field athlete in 2023.