The track and field events in the Olympics Paris this year were filled with bags of surprises. From Noah Lyles losing to Letsile Tebogo to Masai Russell winning a gold medal in her rookie season, no event was really predictable. Many athletes arrived to leave their mark in the competition. But only a few managed to do so. Out of these athletes, one of them not only left their mark in Paris but did so in extreme fashion.

The athlete in question is Julien Alfred. The track and field star ran a great 200-meter race, finishing behind Gabby Thomas for the silver. But what really blew people’s minds was her 100-meter performance. In an event where Sha’Carri Richardson looked the obvious favorite before the competition, the St. Lucian athlete conquered the category like she was always the queen of it, to begin with. However, this did not come to her easily. Julien’s road to Paris was marked by fire, as she had to go through a lot of difficulties. In fact, her participation in the competition was not assured months before it started.

Talking to BBC Sport, Julien Alfred spoke about how she had decided to stop running months before the Olympics. This, of course, put her participation completely up in the air. This is because the St. Lucia track and field star was struggling both physically and mentally. “Early this season, I had a breakdown. I told my coach I didn’t want to continue my season; I told my agent to cancel my meetings,” she said.

Julien added, “I didn’t want to continue. I was so hard on myself. I was overweight; I was struggling mentally and feeling like I couldn’t go on.” This made her coach, Edrick Floreal, unhappy. While the Texas-based track coach also coaches Dina Asher-Smith and Rhasidat Adeleke, he understood that Julien Alfred was something special. She could really have an impact in Paris if she wanted to.

Thus, Edrick decided to handle the whole situation with caution and kept the athlete off the track for some time. But the coach was also desperate to have her in Paris and thus had a heart-to-heart conversation with her. “My coach took me off the track for a bit; we had a long conversation, and we both cried on the phone.” After this episode, Julien seemed to have agreed to participate at the Olympics while on call.

But it was Edrick’s words before he hung up that shook her up and prepared her for war. “The last thing he said to me was: ‘Are you ready to be an Olympic champion?’ He believed that I could be one,” said Julien Alfred. Thus, her coach always believed in her winning the gold medal, which ended up being prophetic in Paris. She won the gold medal after an interesting battle at the 100m against Sha’Carri Richardson.

The track and field star’s feelings after winning the Olympic gold

Track and field star Julien Alfred’s victory over Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m at the Paris Olympics came as quite a surprise. Many had the US athlete showcase the skills she has shown throughout her career at the highest stage and consolidate her position as the best in the world. But the St. Lucian athlete completely wrecked those plans and won the Olympic gold medal herself.

This incredible moment now seems to have finally sunk in. The track and field star finally spoke about the thoughts that encapsulated her mind at the time. Speaking in the same interview, she said, “I cried. I bawled my eyes out.” During this time, she took a moment to think about her father, who had been her biggest fan when she had just started out in track and field.

However, 11 years had gone by since he had passed away. Despite standing at the top of the world with the biggest achievement a track and field star could dream of, she didn’t have her father by her side. “Just seeing how far I’ve come, but my dad not being there to see me accomplish it. It did hurt me that he was not with me.”

The athlete also talked about the huge belief her father had in the athlete. “He always believed in me and wanted me to be an Olympian, so whenever I achieve something, it’s always emotional. He would be proud of me because he was quite boastful and always said, ‘My daughter is the fastest.’ In Paris, these words became true. Thus, the track and field star missed the presence of her biggest fan in her corner. But, wherever he is, Julien’s father is definitely proud of her.