Saint Lucian Julien Alfred becomes 1st athlete to win 2 medals at Paris Olympics

Saint Lucia: Sprint Queen Julien Alfred wins another medal at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, making her country more proud. Alfred stood 2nd and secured a silver medal in the 200m category in a time of 22.08 seconds.

The Saint Lucian has also become the first athlete at Paris Olympics to win two medals since the start of the games action on August 1. On Sunday, she achieved a gold medal in the 100m finals, clocking a time of 10.72 seconds.

In the recent race, Alfred was left behind by USA’s Gabby Thomas, who secured her first Olympic gold medal after a dominant showing in the women’s 200m.

Thomas took the race from the gun, going up against 100-meter champion Julien Alfred and USA teammate Brittany Brown on either side of her. Alfred and Brown ended up in second and third, respectively, but Thomas was well ahead, the only athlete in the race to break 22 seconds.

With her first medal on Sunday, she secured Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal throughout their history of participation in the international sporting event since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

More history for Saint Lucia ‼️

Julien Alfred is the first athlete at @Paris2024 to win two medals since the start of the athletics action on 1 August 👏

100m 🥇
200m 🥈 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/X4PW5cjPBW

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 6, 2024

In her historic win, Julien Alfred was celebrated by her home country for bringing them pride. She is among the five athletes who represented Saint Lucia in this year’s Olympics.

To celebrate this huge development, the government of Saint Lucia wasted no time to showcase the global travellers that the females belong to the island. The government placed a huge banner at their airport with Alfred’s picture and a quote, “Welcome to Saint Lucia, Home of World Champion Julien Alfred.“

Saint Lucian Leaders Congratulates Alfred

Following this huge victory, Saint Lucia erupted in huge celebrations, with several leaders taking to Facebook to congratulate her.

Prime Minister Philip J Pierre said, “Congratulations Julien Alfred on winning the silver medal in the 200m at the Summer Olympics in Paris! Your achievement is a testament to your hard work, determination, and the spirit of excellence that defines Saint Lucia. The country celebrates with you today, and we cannot wait to welcome you home and continue the island wide celebration!”

Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hilaire noted, “Double Olympic medallist Julien Alfred!! Our Olympic medallist Julian Alfred!! 100m Gold, 200m Silver medallist Julian Alfred!! From Ciceron, Saint Lucia, to Paris, France, her name will live forever, Julian Alfred!”

Another politician Jeremiah Norbert outlined, “Congratulations Julien Alfred on winning the silver medal in the 200m at the Paris Olympics! Your achievement is a testament to your hard work, determination, and the spirit of excellence that defines Saint Lucia.”