Castries, Saint Lucia: Ernest Hilaire, Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, congratulated Julian Alfred, a Saint Lucian track and field sprinter, on her outstanding performances at the NCAA and emerging as champion in the 60M in 6.94s.
Minister Hilaire informed through his social media account that Alfred broke the collegiate 200M record moments later with a time of 22.01s. This is also the 6th collegiate record time she has set for this season.
While appreciating the Saint Lucian athlete’s triumph at NCAA, Deputy PM complimented Julian Alfred and remarked that Saint Lucia is proud of her and wishes happiness and success in her upcoming competitions.
Alfred had held four NCAA titles, and yesterday’s historic triumph brings her total count to five. She ran a fast 7.04 s in the heats of the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in 2022, setting the record for the best NCAA performance in the 60 m, and she currently beats her own record time by 6.94 s.
According to Minister Hilaire, the entire country is proud of her accomplishments. Alfred, who is just 21 years old, is among the top 30 fastest women on the planet. Deputy PM further added that she is a gem of Saint Lucia who inspires several youths on the island to involve themselves in sports and athletics.
Julian Alfred, a professional sprinter from Saint Lucia, was born on June 10, 2001, in the Ciceron district of south Castries.
She attended St. Catherine’s High School in Jamaica and Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School in Saint Lucia during her early years. In 2018, Alfred went to Youth & Community Studies at the University of Texas to get further education.
In 2015, Alfred won the U15 title in the Central American and Caribbean regions and also succeeded in receiving honours as Saint Lucia’s junior sportswoman of the year in 2017.
She competed as a junior competitor in the 100-meter race at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau, Bahamas. In addition, she finished second to Rosemary Chukwuma of Nigeria in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Afterwards, Alfred became a four-time NCAA champion and achieved a silver medal in 100 metres race in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Her yesterday’s record-breaking triumph made her a five-time NCAA champion.