Julien Alfred details sacrifices she made to achieve Olympic glory including 'leaving her family behind'

Reigning Olympic champion has detailed the numerous sacrifices she had to make in chasing her dreams and how it felt like seeing her effort paid off well with an Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100m and silver in the 200m.

Julien Alfred capped off her season with a trophy at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels, defeating her training mate Dina Asher-Smith to second place. Africa’s fastest woman rounded up the podium in the race.

In an interview with, Julien Alfred noted that she had doubts about relocating to Jamaica from her home country, Saint Lucia. She noted that it was a difficult move, leaving her mother and siblings behind but she had to make that sacrifice if she were to improve on her running talent.

The Olympic 200m silver medallist explained that her coach Edrick Floreal has been a vital part of her success and during the times she felt down, he would be the first person she would talk and he always had a way of easing her tension.

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“At the time [when I moved from Saint Lucia to Jamaica], I was thinking if I made the wrong choice. I left my family behind and made some big sacrifices to get to this point. I’ve now developed as an athlete, person and individual,” Julien Alfred said.

“It’s been a long journey and I’ve had a lot of lessons to learn. In the times that I’ve struggled my coach always told me that I should use that as motivation. I didn’t come this far for nothing and every person is there for a reason. It’s about taking one step at a time.”

She also explained her struggle with imposter syndrome, pointing out that she has yet to process the successful season that saw her make history for Saint Lucia.

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“I don’t know how I’ll process all of it! Given all that I’ve achieved, especially for somebody who has been through so much in their life, you think ‘Do I even belong here?’ when the good happens. I just need some time to process the good that’s happening in my life right now!” she added.