Ernest Hilaire, the Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, welcomed the gold medalist athlete Julien Alfred. She won the medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championship in a 60-meter race held in Scotland.
She received a heroic welcome at Hewanorra International Airport. The ceremony was recently held inside the VIP Lounge. Julien Alfred also expressed her gratitude for the grand welcome and stated, “It is a proud moment being here as St Lucia’s first global medalist . I am very excited and hopeful that it can inspire the youth to continue on the same path”.
It is to be noted that this was her first visit to her home country after winning the world indoor 60-metre championship in Scotland, where she clinched the gold medal with a time of 6.98 seconds. Importantly, this was St Lucia’s first-ever medal in any global athletics competition.
At the same time, Minister Ernest Hilaire also lauded her achievement and added, “I represent the entire community of Ciceron, by extension Castries South, when I say we are extremely proud of you and your achievements”.
Later on, she reached the Prime Minister’s residence, where PM Philip J Pierre hosted a special reception event to make it memorable for Saint Lucia’s track sensation. She reached here with fans along with a motorcade. PM Pierre also presented her with a gift during this welcome event.
Ernest Hilaire stated in a Facebook post, “World champion Julien Alfred is excited to be home and also to be an influence to so many; we wish you all the best for your bright future and hope that you will continue to make us proud”.
The social media user also, while responding to Facebook, congratulated Julien Hilaire for her extraordinary success.
One Facebook user, Lorne Jules, commented, “The Government of Saint Lucia should make/create a full-body bronze statue of Julien Alfred in a running action at the international airport or somewhere with enough visibility”. Similarly, many other users commented and congratulated her.