Source: Caribbean Life
St. Lucia’s Olympic champion, Julien Alfred, was gifted EC$1 million by the St. Lucian government last Friday for her accomplishments at the Paris Olympics.
The 23-year-old Olympian received the monetary award on Julien Alfred Day, the national holiday named in her honour, when she wrote her name into her country’s history books after winning gold in the women’s 100 meters and silver in the 200 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first St. Lucian to win an Olympic medal.
She also has poems, paintings, and even a calypso song dedicated to her.
“I’m truly lost for words,” she told Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and other government officials who gathered to celebrate her before organising a motorcade for thousands of impatient fans.
She thanked her mother, the government, her coach, and others, including “my village.”
“So many people have guided me along the way and helped me to get to this point,” she said as her voice broke. “It didn’t come easy. It was truly a rocky road. Many days, I just wanted to give up.”
During a special concert at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J Pierre also announced that a section of the Millennium Highway would be renamed after her and a monument in her honour erected on the roundabout of the road.
Alfred will also receive a parcel of land totalling 10,720 feet in commemoration of her national record time of 10.72 seconds, which won her gold in the 100 meters.
She will also have a stamp designed in her honour, and a series of exercise books bearing her photo will be released. Alfred also received $75,000 from the St. Lucia Olympic Committee.
M&C and Massy Stores each presented Alfred with $30,000, Unicomer promised $30,000 worth of gym equipment, Chreiki & Sons pledged $50,000, Landings came through with $10,000 per annum, and 758 Adventures awarded her $25,000.
Friday’s concert completed a week of celebrations that included a six-hour motorcade, two school rallies, a flotilla, a cocktail reception, and the unveiling of a mural at Ciceron RC Primary, Alfred’s former school.