Julien Alfred

Julien Alfred was born on 10 June 2001 in Ciceron, Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia. Her first steps in athletics came after a librarian at her school spotted her racing against boys in her class. Inspired by the Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, she developed into one of the fastest young sprinters in the world.

At 14 she moved alone to Jamaica, where she attended St Catherine High School and honed her sprinting at the island's famous schools championships. In 2018 she won Saint Lucia's first-ever medal at the Youth Olympic Games, taking silver in the 100 metres in Buenos Aires.

Alfred went on to run for the University of Texas, becoming the first track athlete from Saint Lucia to win an NCAA Division I championship, and ultimately a three-time individual NCAA champion. In March 2024 she won the 60 metres at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, the first victory by a Saint Lucian at a global senior championship.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Alfred led the women's 100 metres final from start to finish in a downpour at the Stade de France. She won in 10.72 seconds, a national record, ahead of the American favourite Sha'Carri Richardson, and became the first person from Saint Lucia to win an Olympic medal of any colour. She also won silver in the 200 metres.

In 2025 she won bronze in the 100 metres at the World Championships in Tokyo. After her Olympic win she said she hoped her gold would help Saint Lucia build a new stadium to help the sport grow, recalling that she had grown up running with no shoes and in her school uniform. Her victory was celebrated across Saint Lucia and the Caribbean diaspora.