Julien Alfred came within a breath of abandoning track and field just months before the Paris 2024 Olympics. The young sprinter from Ciceron, Saint Lucia, had already made waves in international athletics, but the mental strain of competition threatened to eclipse her talent. On the night of Saturday, August 3, Alfred crossed the finish line at the Stade de France in the 100-metre final with a time of 10.72 seconds, securing gold and setting a national record. The triumph was historic for Saint Lucia, marking its first-ever Olympic medal, yet few outside her inner circle knew how close she had come to stepping away from the sport entirely.

Alfred’s journey to that moment was shaped by profound loss and early sacrifice. She lost her father, Julian, at the age of 12, a figure who had been a

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