Like every Olympic Games in history, this year’s tournament also saw the triumphant rise of many athletes. While the 33rd Olympics were memorable for many reasons, the women’s 100m dash was certainly a major highlight. Trouncing the reigning world champ Sha’Carri Richardson, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia snatched a surprise victory, sealing her place among the sport’s elite stars. But was it a smooth sail across the finishing line? Far from it!

Bringing the first-ever Olympic medal to her country, Alfred is understandably enjoying celebrity status on the Caribbean island. However, her fandom wasn’t achieved without toil. Instead, Julien had to keep a firm grip on her nerves to make sure her big opportunity didn’t go to waste.

The Saint Lucian track and field star sat down with BBC Woman’s Hour on November 4 to talk about all the fleeting thoughts that occupied her head before and during the women’s 100m final race in Paris earlier this year. Alfred said that after seeing herself perform in stellar style in the semifinal races, she knew she was within touching distance of a fervent dream that has remained elusive to Saint Lucia since 1996. “I realized I had a good chance of getting the gold medal,” grinned Julien during the interview.

However, while she pondered her chances to defeat some of the world’s best sprinters, Alfred also knew that the starting blocks could turn out as the unwanted villains of the day. Remembering how her false start at the 2022 World Championships was a disastrous affair, Alfred added, “It was a lot of pressure, I’m not going to lie.” And yet, even with the thought of what the starting block might bode, Alfred was trying hard to go over her training lessons to come up with a plan to defeat her opponents.

“I was just thinking of my race plan, thinking of each phase I had to go through to win the gold,” said the Olympic champ, highlighting how taking down the likes of Sha’Carri required intense planning. Not anticipating the gun was a major part of the process to ensure she didn’t have a false start again. On top of that, knowing that all of Saint Lucia expected her to bag a medal only added to the duress. Luckily, everything panned out as Alfred wanted, and it wasn’t long before her native country stepped up to hail her for her feat.

Julien Alfred’s seminal moment deserved all the praise in the world

Bringing home the first medal for Saint Lucia from the grandest sporting tournament in the world was justifiably an achievement that deserved applause, and the island nation didn’t disappoint. On September 27, the authorities of the capital of Saint Lucia announced the day would be commemorated as Julien Alfred Day, immortalizing the track star’s feat on the big stage.

For obvious reasons, the Olympian was also elated by the gesture. “The past four days here on island has been nothing short of amazing! I have laughed, cried, danced and celebrated with my fellow Saint Lucian,” she wrote on her social media update following the monumental moment of her life, highlighting the joy she experienced.

But it wasn’t just her own desire to prove her worth that prompted her to outpace the enigmatic Sha’Carri Richardson in the City of Love. Instead, honoring the memory of her late father, who Julien lost in 2013, kept the hunger burning inside of her. Losing him was a blow to the guts that nearly ended her running career, but Alfred thrived. “He [Julien’s father] always believed in me and wanted me to be an Olympian,” she told The Times. So what is your favorite part about Julien Alfred’s meteoric rise to stardom? Tell us in a comment below!