The women’s 100m event at Paris 2024 had a clear favorite in Team USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson. The American sprinter began her journey to realize her full potential in 2023 and entered the Paris Olympics as the defending 100m champion. However, Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia flipped the script, pouring everything into her performance to prove that nearly a decade of struggle had been worth it.

Alfred remained low-key during the Summer Games. However, she couldn’t hold back the emotion as she screamed at the top of her lungs after crossing the finish line ahead of Richardson. During the 24-year-old’s appearance on the BBC’s Women’s Hour podcast, the host asked about the significance of Alfred’s emotional release after her victory.

Julien Alfred’s story of a lonely struggle

‘You screamed. You were clearly overcome with emotion. You’re not, you’re not a very flashy person,” pointed out host Clare McDonnell. Julien Alfred didn’t shy away from explaining just how difficult her journey to winning the gold medal inside Stade de France had been. “Oh, my God. It’s been a long journey that not many persons you know about.” said the sprinter.

“Leaving my home at the young age of 14, going to Jamaica, training for three years there, then moving to Texas on my own, spending five years at the University of Texas in Austin to get into this point in my career. Lots of trials and tribulations,” explained the Olympic champion. However, for Alfred, the challenging times had begun when she was only 12.

Julien Alfred had always dreamed of excelling in track and field, with her father as her biggest cheerleader. When her father passed away suddenly in 2013, however, she almost gave up on her dream. It was then-coach Simeon Stephen who helped her find her footing again, encouraging the young prodigy to continue pursuing her passion and to train in Jamaica.

So two years after her father’s untimely passing, Alfred left home with a heavy heart to study at St. Catherine High School in Jamaica. And while the Castries, Saint Lucia, native became part of the best track and field cultures of the world, the mental struggles plagued her. “I was without my family and friends and was thinking I should go back.” said the 23-year-old.

“I stayed with a family but it was hard to adapt to a new culture,” she added. However, her continued success only took Alfred’s father away from Saint Lucia and her family. At the University of Texas, Alfred won the 100m NCAA Division 1 title in 2022 and earned silver at the Commonwealth Games. So when she finally crossed the finish line first in Paris, nearly a decade of repressed emotions overwhelmed Julien Alfred.

“All I could scream was, yes, yes, yes.” confessed the sprinter. However, the Olympic champion’s swan song nearly ended even before she reached Paris. The 23-year-old may not have even been at the Olympics if it wasn’t for her coach.

How Edrick Floreal helped his star student refocus ahead of Paris 2024

During her discussion with Clare McDonnell, the sprinter explained how close she came to quitting ahead of Paris. Despite her success on the global stage, the Olympian had a crisis ahead of the 2024 Summer Games. “Earlier in that season, I had a breakdown. I was completely out of it,” Alfred revealed on the Women’s Hour Podcast.

Unable to cope, the athlete from the Ciceron community of Castries decided to withdraw from all competitions. Despite qualifying for the Olympics, Alfred seemed ready to throw it all away. “I told my coach I didn’t want to continue the season, I told my agents to cancel my meets, ” confessed the Olympic champion. The two-time Olympic medalist even revealed had she had gained weight.

However, coach Edrick Floreal wasn’t ready to see his pupil throw away the career she had struggled to build for the better of a decade. “He took me off the track for a little bit,” said Alfred, and after a “long conversation” the coach and pupil even “cried on the phone.” However, at the end of the call, Floreal asked Alfred a question. “Are you ready to be an Olympic champion?” he asked.

With Julien Alfred’s mindset back on track, her coach, Edrick Floreal, collaborated closely with her agent to prepare her for the Paris Olympics. As August 3 arrived, the 23-year-old Saint Lucian stunned the track and field world, defeating favorite Sha’Carri Richardson and making a bold statement about her rise to the top.