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- Saint Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) cheque presentation to Julien Alfred — the 2024 Olympic Champion Gold medal 100-meter — silver medal in the 200-meter and Gold at the 60-meter World Athletics Indoor Championships.
By Alfred Emmanuel, President of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC)
As we gather in the Jonathan Everett Conference Room to pay tribute to Julien, I will take the liberty of saying a few things which I hope will provide clarity going forward.
Attaining world-class status comes with sheer dedication and hard work, first on the part of the athlete, coupled with concentrated planning and execution of strategy by the athlete and his/her entourage, and by that, I mean the coaches, physios, manager, agent and any other individuals that would form that inner circle.
Participation at such multi-sports Games which fall under the banner of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., should not be seen as an entitlement simply because you are the best in your sport. Selection will be determined when the athlete has met established standards first and foremost, followed by the athlete seriously and adequately preparing for the said competition.
It cannot be a case of, I have met the standards so I can now relax, bluff, or call on organizations to turn stone into bread. This attitude or behaviour will surely not reap the rewards that our entire nation has been celebrating since March 2, 2024, when Julien Alfred won Gold in the 60m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.
In the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, Marc Anthony, addressing the faithful, said:
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
That was the thinking then!
I want to remind our countrymen both at home and abroad, that the evil that men do or dabble in will surely catch up with them during their lifetime on this earth, likewise, the good that they do, or have done, will be reciprocated right here on earth, before their passing.
Marc Anthony also told the gathering: “Here was Caesar, when comes such another.”
[Today] I say, here is Julien Alfred and with the honesty, dedication and hard work ethic that she displays; we as a nation can produce more Olympic Champions.
While the nation celebrates, you know it is not funny what I have heard and I am still hearing from all quarters – who was where, who did what, who prevented what, who assisted with what, who stopped what and the list goes on.
What I will tell you is that the Saint Lucia Athletics Association, which I had the privilege to head or be part of its leadership for a considerable length of time, and the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., which I have the honour to lead at this time, know full well the road map for success.
It is a plan that not all will want to subscribe to, but when success is achieved, even the fiercest critics are all too happy to join in the praises. My track record has been consistent – you need to meet established standards first and foremost and move on from there.
I must tell you from January 1, 2021, to July of this year, the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., has provided assistance to our members and a few other organizations like Helpage and Special Olympics and facilitated the participation of our country’s athletes in multi-sports Games at a cost of EC $4,588.077.00.
I can also say that not a penny came from local coffers.
When I was given the privilege to lead the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., I made it very clear that my legacy, “will depend on putting athletes on the podium.”
What did I hear and was hearing before August 6, 2024? “This man is all about standards, all about medals.” To some, supporting this notion is sporting political suicide, while others quietly said; “I am with you on this road.”
To those who have stayed by my side, I say thank you, and to the others, this approach is not sporting foolishness, but one of wanting the world to know that we, as a nation can perform on the world stage. I urge you all to reconsider your positions for the betterment of sports and national pride.
Julien Alfred – sheer determination
Well, it was medals and podium finishes in the French Capital by an athlete who remained committed to being the first to deliver an Olympic medal to her nation.
I do not want to repeat what most of you would have heard already, and as I told Julien Alfred at a brief gathering in Paris, there are scenarios I am privileged to that will never be revealed publicly. That said, I would now want to quickly outline a journey of sheer determination.
When Brenda Joseph, a teacher at the Ciceron Combined School spotted talent, it was the Speed Sprinting Survivors Athletics Club that was approached. Cuthbert Modeste, who was the chief cook and bottle washer at the time, gladly agreed to welcome Julien Alfred into their midst.
I can recall these formative years. It was not only Julien. There were kids like Divia James, Rochelle Etienne, and Desiree Desir who formed the Survivors’ Brigade at the time. Hard times and the need to assist with family survival chores saw some of them fall by the wayside, but Julien soldiered on.
At the tender age of 14, she told the Americas, I have come of age and I am there for the long haul. She dominated the Central American and Caribbean Age Group Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.
It was at that meet that operatives of St Catherine High School in Jamaica recognized talent and decided to offer her an opportunity to come and be part of their setup. I must say St Catherine High saw her ability, and they told themselves this will be good for us going into champs over the years.
In 2017, there came a crossroads for Julien. Two championships back to back – the World Athletics Under 18 Championships in Kenya and the Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) in Nassau, The Bahamas.
Being the medal man that I am, [at the time] I had to convince the leadership of the Athletics Association that Julien’s better chance of medaling was at the CYG, and as such, the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) of Saint Lucia needed her services.
The president at the time, Andrew Magloire, agreed to release her into the care of the CGA and the rest is history – Commonwealth Youth Games Champion over 100m.
One year later, having completed studies at St Catherine High, Julien returned home. It was an Olympic Youth Games year, with Argentina hosting the Games.
Sports, politics, determination and love for country – were again at play
Cuthbert Modeste was there again, ensuring that Julien got ready for the event. The pictures of them having to train at the Marchand Grounds with grass more than a foot tall in the background, and making the weekly trips to the George Odlum Stadium, with some male athletes to enhance her preparation, resulted in glory – a silver medal in the 100m event.
It was that performance which captured the attention of coaches from universities in the US.
After careful consideration, Julien chose the University of Texas where as an NCAA athlete she was guided by coach Eldrick Florial, more popularly known as Coach Flo, after finishing her NCAA career, Julien remained with Coach Flo:
Expectations from all quarters
- 2022 saw Julien winning the 100m in the first-ever Caribbean Games in Guadeloupe and followed it up with a Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
- 2023 saw her capture the 100m title at the Centro Caribe Sports Games in El Salvador.
These performances under her nation’s sporting banner, coupled with her NCAA achievements made her a force on the field of play.
- 2024 would be a deciding year. Lots of expectations from all quarters, and lots of armchair sports analysts, but all the while a dedicated Coach Flo and his team ensured that Julien remained focused amidst all the social media hype.
The athlete ‘missed’ a meet in Jamaica and the self-proclaimed pundits were off the blocks: She injured? You did not see her pull up at her last outing?
They never took time to find out what was going on. I recall Rene De Myers calling me up, simply because she wanted that reassurance that Julien was not injured.
I can tell you now that the ‘missed’ Jamaica event had nothing to do with injury, but all about believing in her medical team and what they prescribed.
Delivering Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal – the Paris Olympics
Julien Alfred and her team had their game plan set. Mission: Delivering to Saint Lucia its first Olympic medal. Again, we had to endure the criticism of some misguided analysts: How come Julien was not the one carrying the flag at the opening ceremony?
People were told Julien was in Texas preparing. Others thought: Why not fly her in just for the opening ceremony and for her to return to base camp?
I must say we took our licks, knowing full well what the game plan was. On August 3, 2024, at 8:20 pm Paris time – and 10.72 seconds., those who had never heard of Saint Lucia got to hear our island nation’s name for the first time. Why? Julien Alfred was now the Olympic 100m Champion.
Three days later, tired but determined, Julien again dug deep, pulled the choke and delivered yet a brilliant performance with a silver medal in the 200m.
Our country appeared united behind Julien’s success. The cries of “Ju Ju” and ”I am a dam proud Lucian” were on everyone’s lips. This is what the power of sports can do.
The road map as a multi-sports organization
The Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., will not be complacent under my watch. We will continue to demand attaining established standards first and foremost and we will spare no effort in sourcing the necessary funding to ensure that – Los Angeles 2028 – we can improve on our 2024 performance.
We know what the road map is for us as a multi-sports organization:
- 2025 – Panamsports Junior Championship – Asuncion, Paraguay
- 2026 – Commonwealth Games, Scotland; Centro Caribe Sports Games, Dominican Republic; Summer Youth Olympics, Dakar, Senegal
- 2027 – Panamsports Games, Lima, Peru
- 2028 – Olympic Games, Los Angeles, California
As an organisation, we know we will need the support of our National Associations in delivering quality athletes, and rest assured we will find the necessary resources to make it happen.
Finding the necessary resources comes with demands, accountability, transparency and fair play.
We cannot allow the 2024 moment to slip backwards. It must be used as motivation to tell us we did it then, we can do it, again and again.
Token of appreciation
[Later today], Prime Minister Philip J Pierre will be making some pronouncement per our Paris success. I hope that when this is done, due recognition both in words and deed will be dished out to the organizations, who over the last three years worked tirelessly, to ensure our country’s participation in sports on the continental and world stage.
[Today] we want to say, thank you Julien Alfred for making us proud. We want to say thank you to our funding agencies; Panamsports our continental organization, and the International Olympic Committee, for their unwavering support.
‘You talk about motivation?’ Well, with our limited resources, we felt compelled to reward Julien Alfred for her efforts in putting us on the podium. Tomorrow, it can be Julien Alfred again, but we are hoping many more will join.
For your efforts, I have the pleasure of presenting on behalf of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., our token of appreciation to the tune of EC $75,000.00.
Let it be known that these funds were secured from one of our programmes that were aimed at preparing athletes for Paris. At the end of our Paris campaign, we sought the approval of Panamsports to facilitate this award. I say thank you Panamsports.
In closing, I call on our members to remain focused on the task at hand – producing quality athletes for years to come. And being the true Christian that I am – let me call on the Lord that I serve to continue showering blessings on our nation by giving us more athletes like Julien Alfred.
