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Julian Alfred’s historic victory at the Paris Olympics last Saturday afternoon was truly extraordinary. Not only did she become the first Saint Lucia athlete to win an Olympic medal in any sport, she did so in gold. The 100m race is often referred to as the Olympics’ “blue ribbon” event, attracting widespread global attention, making her achievement even more notable and impactful.
When Ms. Alfred stood on the podium, draped in the national flag, and the national anthem echoed in the stadium, the world knew Saint Lucia. Her victory was not only a personal victory for her, but also a victory for the entire country. For a country with a population of less than 200,000, rampant crime and political divisions, Alfred’s victory came at the right time. It rekindled the national pride of Saint Lucians and reinforced the idea that success can be achieved through discipline, dedication, hard work and courage.
Alfred’s historic moment should inspire other Saint Lucians to aim high and realize that they, too, can compete on the world stage. Her journey to the top was undoubtedly challenging, but she always remained focused on winning, and that drive is a beacon of hope for the entire country.
The same thing happened on our sister island of Dominica, with a population of less than 80,000. It was revealed that shortly after Alfred dominated the track and field, Thea Lafond from Nature Island won the triple jump (gold medal) with a jump of 49 feet, 3 1/2 inches.
“It’s incredible that these little islands can produce such great athletes. I’m so grateful to Julian because I saw her win the gold medal indoors and I thought, ‘I’m going to win gold.’ I saw her win the gold medal (tonight) and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to win gold.’ Maybe it’s copycat, maybe it’s imitation. Either way, we are making history for our islands. Now we can bring home medals that will last forever. Records come and go, but Olympic medals are forever. Look at the Caribbean, look at these little islands, see how great we are, feel the national pride.
“Coming from a small place like the Dominican Republic or St. Lucia, it means a lot to be able to stand on the world stage and let the world know the name of our country,” Lafond was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Daily News.
The achievements of these two islanders at last Saturday’s Olympics will certainly have a positive impact on their respective countries. As Ms. Alfred succinctly told the Los Angeles Daily News: “People always ask me where St. Lucia is? Now as Olympic champions, a lot of people are going to look for St. Lucia.”
We have no doubt that this is true for both Saint Lucia and the Dominican Republic. The wins for both women will surely boost their countries’ marketing and promotion efforts around the world, raising their countries’ global profiles. However, Alfred’s achievement is particularly noteworthy because, as mentioned earlier, the Olympic 100m track and field event is considered the quintessence of the Games, meaning it will be the most talked about Olympic victory in global media circles.
How Saint Lucia will take advantage of this massive free promotion, how it will conduct itself now that it is on the world stage and in the world’s attention, remains to be seen.
One thing we do know is that if a country wants to gain world recognition on stage, there is no better stage than the Olympics.
Thank you, Julian Alfred. On behalf of a grateful nation,
PS: This editorial was written before Alfred competed in the 200m race in Paris on Tuesday afternoon, so I cannot go into detail about the event.
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