Junelle Bromfield might’ve been racing on the track in the City of Love, but her biggest hurdle was off it. After missing the podium at the Paris Olympics, the Jamaican track and field star was hit with a storm of cyberbullying and heartbreaking comments—comments that brought up painful memories from her childhood. In an emotional Instagram post, Bromfield shared the hurtful remarks she’d been receiving. But instead of letting it bring her down, she gave a shout-out to all the “little black girls” like her. Her boyfriend, Noah Lyles, chimed in with a sweet comment, “Baby you are and will always be an inspiration to all little girls feeling this exact way.”

But as empowering as that moment was, Bromfield didn’t shy away from sharing: “I grew up hearing Black is not beautiful, your hair is dry, your mouth is too big, your forehead too high,” she wrote, recalling the painful words that shaped her early years. So, how did Junelle Bromfield rise above it all and grow her confidence?

An incident in 2016 led Junelle Bromfield to believe she was beautiful

In an interview with Sim Soul Sessions, Junelle Bromfield got real about the racism she faced as a kid. She admitted that growing up, nobody called her pretty—except her mom. Instead, when the family went to church, her siblings’ friends would act like she was different from the rest. “Kids can be brutal,” she said. They’d ask her, “Are you sure she’s your sister? Because you look nothing alike.”

Then came 2016—cue the big hair chop. But instead of compliments, she got teased. People made all kinds of racist remarks. However, a surprising twist came when some folks on the internet started comparing her to none other than Lupita Nyong’o, a Hollywood beauty icon. And Junelle? She took that comparison and ran with it.“On the internet, people would say, ‘You’re so beautiful!’ and I thought, ‘Well, if I look like Lupita, then I must be beautiful too.'” That was the moment everything clicked for her.

With that newfound confidence, Junelle started owning her beauty and letting go of the racism that had weighed her down. She said, “Now, when I look in the mirror, I just see beauty.” And this wasn’t just talk—she fully embraced this strength, especially after the Paris Olympics, showing the world she was no longer letting the haters get to her!

Standing up against cyberbullying post-Paris Olympics

Junelle Bromfield had a bit of a rough go at the Paris Olympics. Despite the high of winning her first medal back in Tokyo, she just couldn’t keep the momentum going and missed out on the podium this time. And, as if the disappointment wasn’t enough, the cyberbullying kicked into overdrive—something she was already dealing with, thanks to her high-profile relationship with Noah Lyles.

But this time, she wasn’t about to stay silent. Junelle hit Instagram with some serious boldness, making it crystal clear that no amount of trolling could shake her, stating that her skin color was too powerful to be affected by the negativity. In her first post after Paris, she showed gratitude for making it to the semis in both the 400m and the mixed 4x400m relay.

Then came a follow-up post where she got real about this year’s lessons, saying it’s made her realize she’s even more physically and mentally strong than she ever thought. And in her third post? She embraced her natural beauty, rocking no wigs or makeup. “100% melanin,” she captioned it. But the real mic drop came with her last post, where she went straight for the haters. “Melanin is too dark to throw her shades 🤎🎶,” she said, letting the trolls know she’s here to stay, no matter what they throw her way.