The heavens had opened in Paris before the much-anticipated final but nobody was prepared for the storm that was about to erupt on the purple, rain-drenched Stade de France running track.
Unawed by the momentous occasion, Alfred burst out of the blocks as the much-fancied Richardson failed to get going in the opening stages of the race.
In the end, neither Richardson nor any of the other eight finalists could come close to Alfred, an athlete from an island of around 180,000 people who took on the world’s sprinting behemoths and won.
Alfred later spoke about how she had manifested her victory on the morning of the race: “I woke up and wrote it down, ‘Julien Alfred, Olympic champion.’,” she said. “So I think believing in myself really was important.”
Julien Alfred’s rise to become Olympic champion: “I always wanted to be Saint Lucia’s first Olympic gold medallist”
Alfred announced herself to the world at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 where she won silver in the 100m.
Back then, few could have predicted her rapid rise in the sport, but those Games in Argentina had a profound influence on the young sprinter.
“I wasn’t sure how to look at myself at that time, whether as a young Olympian or not” Alfred confessed in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com. “But I think that was the beginning of something great… that also influenced my choices, coming into college.”
It was at college that Alfred really began to build upon her potential, becoming a triple NCAA champion with the University of Texas and the first female collegiate athlete to break the seven-second barrier in the 60m.
Even with those honours, it is a big leap from college star to Olympic champion. Alfred admitted she has dreamed about this moment since she was a child – as a victory both for herself and her country.
“Growing up, I’ve always said I wanted to be one of Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medallists,” she said. “First gold medallists at the Olympic Games.”
Now, on a rainy day in Paris, a far cry from the 325 of sunshine Saint Lucia averages every year, Alfred has fulfilled her dreams and become the new Olympic champion.
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