Saint Lucia, a nation of less than 200,000 people, Saturday afternoon, watched in awe as one of her daughters, 23-year-old female from the Ciceron community Julien Alfred, stormed her way into the history books by winning Gold in the 100 metres at the Paris Olympics, a feat never before achieved by a Saint Lucian.
‘Saint Lucia we love’ and ‘I am a Saint Lucian’ words from two songs that speak of patriotism are still reverberating across the country from music systems across every part of the island, hours after Alfred’s victory.
Saint Lucians immediately took to social media to express their joy many writing, ‘tears are streaming down my face.’
The rains which descended on the Derick Walcott Square did not damp the enthusiastic crowd that turned out to watch the race on the massive television screen set up there for that purpose.
Alfred, in a time of 10.72 seconds, became Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medallist, a feat that not only endeared her to all Saint Lucians, both here and in the diaspora, but placed her firmly in the record books.
Even the heavens, it seems, were smiling down on Alfred Saturday afternoon, as it rained both in Saint Lucia and at the Stade de France stadium, the national stadium of France and the largest, a fitting place to create history and win her country its first Olympic medal.
Alfred dominated the race and sealed victory by a clear margin in a national record 10.72 seconds, leaving in her wake the world’s fastest woman for the year, American world champion Sha’Carri Richardson who took silver in 10.87 seconds
It must be noted that Saint Lucia never won an Olympic medal of any colour even though it had fielded athletes at several Olympic Games before.
But it is not over yet for Saint Lucia’s sprint sensation. The 200 metres, coming up next week, is her next focus. How she fares no one knows yet. What she can bank on, however, is the support of her fellow Saint Lucians, every last one of them, as she reset and prepares herself for another Olympic milestone.
Alfred is based in Austin, Texas, where she trains under coach Edrick Floreal.