Sports fans, or those who tuned into the 2024 Olympics, will surely recognize the name Julien Alfred. The Saint Lucian sprinter and gold medal champion made waves earlier this year with her incredible performance on the global stage, setting national records in the 100-meter event and taking home the very first Olympic medal for her home nation. Thanks to her ground-shattering performance, she is set to be one of several athletes recognized in the Netflix docu-series Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans Part 2. The series premiered on the streamer today, Nov. 13, showcasing Alfred’s hard work and dedication in the days leading up to her performance in the Paris Olympics where her success was highlighted on the global stage. In the trailer, Alfred can be heard saying, “This is my chance to make the world know my name.” Clearly, she succeeded in this goal, having brought home the gold and glory for her country.
All About Julien Alfred’s Early Life And Career Beginnings
Long before she was shattering records in the Olympics, Julien Alfred was born in the small island nation of Saint Lucia. From a very young age, she developed a passion for fitness and athleticism, often taking to local competitions while attending Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School. After Alfred’s father passed away, she sought greater athletic opportunities and attended high school in Jamaica from 2015 through 2018. On more than one occasion, Alfred took home championship honors, including Saint Lucia’s Junior Sportswoman of the Year. Once she graduated, the aspiring athlete’s family was extremely supportive of her bid for higher education. They worked together to help her immigrate to the United States, where she attended the University of Texas with a full scholarship for her track and field record.
While attending UofT, Alfred took Youth and Community Studies courses while making NCAA headlines, debuting as one of the top 30 fastest female athletes of all time. During her freshman year, the 23-year-old was revered for running the all-time best NCAA performance in the 60-meter dash during Division I championships, marking her as an obvious contender for future success. She ultimately concluded her first semester with an undefeated season, winning the 2022 NCAA Division I title for the 100-meter dash. This made her the very first athlete from the nation of Saint Lucia to hold such an honor, rapidly cementing her status as a hometown hero.
Superstar Sprinter’s Path To The Olympics
Julien Alfred’s success continued throughout the remainder of her college career, as she shattered numerous track records in 2023 and 2024. Early in the latter, the island gal became the very first woman in NCAA history to run 60 meters in under 7 seconds, making her the second-fastest woman of all time, just behind Florence Griffith Joyner, AKA Flo-Jo. From there, Alfred was listed alongside fellow Texas college athlete Max Duggan as the Big 12 Conference Athletes of the Year, and selected to participate in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Despite ranking fifth place in the event, she went on to outdo herself the following year at the World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
After taking home the gold in Europe, it seemed overtly clear that Julien Alfred was destined for global success, propelling her to submit for the Saint Lucian’s women’s track and field team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Despite the Caribbean island nation having sent athletes to the Summer Games ever since 1996, Alfred’s gold medal-winning performance in the women’s 100 meters marked the very first Olympic medal for Saint Lucia. She also managed to snag a silver medal in the 200-meter race, finishing just behind Gabrielle Thomas.
Aftermath Of Alfred’s Gold Medal Win
It should truly come as no surprise that Julien Alfred’s Olympic success sparked a massive response from her home nation. The decisive victory caused celebrations all across Saint Lucia and even culminated in Sept. 27 being named “Julien Alfred Day” within the country. Alfred’s Olympic placements have also come with a substantial payout, ameliorating her net worth exponentially. At this time, we have no confirmation of the exact figure she made off her Olympic success, though we can assume that the rewards and additional bonuses make up the bulk of Julien Alfred’s impressive net worth. As an Olympic champion, she’s now tapped into a network of possible sponsors and endorsements, offering her a wide array of money-making opportunities.
According to a write-up in SportsBuddy, Alfred touts an estimated nest egg of between $1 million and $2 million, with plenty of room to grow as she continues dominating the world of sports and fitness. At the time of this writing, she hasn’t gone public with any major sponsorships, though we’re curious to see what her first ones might be. Even if Alfred eschews the corporate route entirely, her success makes her a prime subject for interviews, media appearances, documentaries and paid speaking engagements. In November 2024, Julien Alfred was named Saint Lucia’s Tourism Ambassador, allowing her to travel across the world in an official capacity. Based on everything we’ve shared, it’s clear that Alfred’s star has only just begun to rise.
