Ecstatic fans on the tiny Caribbean island of St Lucia were overcome with joy after Julien Alfred swept to victory in the Olympic women’s 100m, stunning a global audience that had booked her American rival as the firm favourite.
The 23-year-old sprinter – now the “fastest woman in the world” – will go down in the island nation’s history as its first-ever Olympic medal winner, after bagging gold at the Paris 2024 Games on Saturday.
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“Awesome, awesome,” said fan Milton Branford Jr back home in St Lucia of the glittering performance.
“This is a singular moment in history for Saint Lucia that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
“I mean, I’m so, so proud about everything she has accomplished so far. Juju is one of the most amazing… Saint Lucian women that I have ever come across.
“She has done us proud, and we are absolutely, absolutely, very, very ecstatic about this.”
In the pouring rain in the Stade de France, “JuJu” stormed to victory in 10.72 seconds, leaving behind the US’s reigning 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who took silver in 10.87sec.
Delirious fans watching on a big screen in St Lucia – an island with a population of around 180,000 people – erupted in screams and cheers and jumped up and down with joy as the sprinter crossed the finish line victorious.
Her success was against the odds for a girl growing up in the small suburb of Ciceron, said supporter Samantha Agard.
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“When you are somebody from Ciceron in Saint Lucia, it’s not somebody who is one of those rich people, so it’s like somebody who started from scratch and made it big.”
She called it a “big thing” for kids in her home town because she has shown them what is possible. “It’s like ‘If Juju can do it, then I can do it’.”
Ms Alfred said: “Growing up I used to be on the field struggling with no shoes running barefoot, running in my school uniform, running all over the place.”
The young star, who then honed her skills at Texas University, hopes Saturday’s victory will improve access to sport in her native St Lucia.
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She said “we barely have the right facilities” on the island, which only began competing at the Olympics in 1996.
“The stadium is not fixed. I’m really hoping this gold medal will also help the youth and help St Lucia build a new stadium and really help the sport grow.”
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Her former trainer Cuthbert Modeste, the first to coach the star from age of nine, said he knew “the gold is ours” when he saw her run in the heat.
“Because she runs with ease, you know. And normally, she fades away after 60 metres. But now she’s moving so easily.”
So he went and told his daughters and his wife: “Hello, [we are going to] win the gold medal today”.
