To date, no athlete from Saint Lucia has ever won an Olympic medal, but that story is fast approaching its end, and in Paris as Julien Alfred is all, but ready to write her name in history.
The National Olympic Committee for Saint Lucia was created in 1987 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1993.
The Eastern Caribbean island nation with a pair of dramatically tapered mountains, the Pitons, on its west coast have been present at every Olympic Games since 1996 in Atlanta, US.
Saint Lucia’s team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as announced by the National Olympic Committee are: Julien Alfred [100 & 200m], Michael Joseph [400m], Luc Chevrier [Sailing], and Jayhan Odlum-Smith [Swimming].
Among the above mentioned names, it is Julien Alfred, otherwise known as ‘Juju’ who stands on the hill of breaking Saint Lucia’s medal-less history at the Olympic Games.
Since winning silver medal [11.01] in the women’s 100m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Julien Alfred has never looked back, making giant strides in various competitions.
She won the gold medal in the 60 metres at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, crossing the line in 6.98 seconds.
With consistent form, Juju ran a national record 10.78 seconds early in June and easily won the Monaco Diamond League in 10.85 seconds. She ticks all the box as a likely medal winner in either the women’s 100m, or the 200m, or both in Paris.
By James K. Attaglo Wilson
