How Alfred went from breaking point to Olympic 100m gold

Julien Alfred had reached breaking point, but one question changed everything.

"Are you ready to be Olympic champion?" her coach asked.

The 23-year-old had been through so much.

At 12, she had lost her father. At 14, she had left home, on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, to pursue her Olympic dream.

Alfred emerged as a genuine Olympic contender after going close to the world podium last year.

She won the Olympic 100m title at Paris 2024. In September, she had a St Lucia national holiday named after her.

Yet months before she wrote history, Alfred's Olympic participation was in serious doubt.

"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 meets," Alfred told BBC Sport.

"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.

"My coach took me off the track for a bit, we had a long conversation and we both cried on the phone.

"The last thing he said to me was: 'Are you ready to be an Olympic champion?' He believed that I could be one."

Alfred is coached by Texas-based Edrick Floreal, who also trains Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith and Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke.

His belief proved prophetic.

In a frenzied Saturday night atmosphere at the Stade de France, Alfred seized her moment.

With her first global outdoor title, she not only delivered the first Olympic gold in St Lucia's history but also the island nation's first Games medal of any colour.

And she had achieved it in the Games' blue riband event, running the race of her life to beat world champion Sha'Carri Richardson in a national record time of 10.72 seconds.

An outpouring of emotion followed. Alfred had reached the pinnacle of her sport - but her father, who died in 2013, was not there to witness it.

"Oh my God, I cried. I bawled my eyes out," said Alfred.

"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."

Alfred's passion for athletics was diminished by the loss of her father, Julian, who would take her to training and constantly tell friends about how fast his daughter was.

"I felt like the person who wanted me to get to this point in my career was no longer here. I felt there was no need to continue," said Alfred.

Convinced to return to the sport after a break, Alfred hinted at the medals to come by winning Commonwealth Youth Games 100m gold in 2017 and Youth Olympic silver one year later.

She achieved her first international senior medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and, after finishing fourth over 200m and fifth over 100m at the 2023 World Championships, Alfred announced her Olympic credentials by winning world indoor 60m gold in March.

But, rather than inspire confidence that she could land Olympic gold, that success - another first for St Lucia - almost derailed Alfred's Paris bid.

"I wasn't motivated like before," she said. "It felt so much pressure whenever I got a chance to race, because now I thought that St Lucians was expecting so much from me.

"I felt like I had to win every single time. I felt like I couldn't do it."

After conversations with her coach and her agent, it was agreed Alfred would prioritise her mental wellbeing and withdraw from competitions.

She admitted there was a point earlier this year where she feared she would not be fit enough to compete at the Games.

But, able to reignite her Olympic ambitions, her form was evident at the London Diamond League in July, where Alfred ran a 200m personal best of 21.86 seconds.

Not only did Alfred make it to Paris, but she departed the French capital as a double sprint medallist, following up her historic 100m triumph with Olympic 200m silver behind American Gabby Thomas three days later.

"It's been a long journey. You don't just get here. I left home at 14, moved to Jamaica, then Texas. I have been through a lot of trials and tribulations, a lot of hardships," Alfred said.

"When you finally cross the line and get gold, the thing you have worked so hard for your entire life, it is such an amazing feeling. I was screaming at the top of my lungs."

On her return home, Alfred was greeted by the prime minister and the nation's streets were lined with support as she was escorted around the island in a motorcade, with several days of organised celebrations culminated with 'Julien Alfred Day'.

Having seen the impact of her successes, she is determined to use her influence to develop the sport in St Lucia while also promoting her country on the global stage as a tourism ambassador.

"It's such an amazing feeling [to represent St Lucia]. Life has changed in so many different ways," Alfred said.

"Using what I've done on the track to promote my country, that's life changing.

"But also just seeing how much of an impact I've had on so many people's lives - that, to me, is also life changing."