St. Lucia's first Olympic medalist returns home to a hero’s welcome

As the first St. Lucian to win an Olympic medal, sprinter Julien Alfred already has poems, paintings and even a Calypso song dedicated to her.

On Tuesday, officials also announced that Sept. 27 would be Julien Alfred Day as the 23-year-old known as “JuJu” returned home to the eastern Caribbean island where she once ran barefoot as a child.

“I’m truly lost for words,” she told Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and other government officials who gathered to celebrate her before organizing a motorcade for thousands of impatient fans waiting outside, some of whom came as far away as London.

The gold medal that Alfred won in the 100-meter sprint at the Summer Olympics in Paris and the silver medal she earned in the 200-meter sprint hung around her neck.

She thanked her mother, the government, her coach and others, including her village.

“It didn’t come easy. It was truly a rocky road. Many days I just wanted to give up,” she said.

Alfred quit running around 12 years old after her father died. Her coach convinced her to come back, and then she moved to Jamaica as a teenager to train.

Prior to winning two Olympic medals, Alfred won a gold medal in the 60 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, also a first for St. Lucia.

At the Olympics, she ran the 100-meter race in 10.72 seconds, beating favorite Sha’Carri Richardson and dedicating the win to her father.