Athletics Weekly names Alfred Female Athlete of the Year

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC):

ST LUCIA’S sprint queen Julien Alfred has copped yet another award, this time being named the Athletics Weekly (AW) International Female Athlete of the Year for 2024.

Alfred, who won St Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medals at the Paris Olympics when she claimed gold in the women’s 100 metres and silver in the 200 metres, beat several other nominees including Belgium’s Nafi Thiam, Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan, Kenya’s trio of Ruth Chepngetich, Faith Kipyego, and Beatrice Chebet, the United States’ Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

The 23-year-old had a spectacular 2024, where she also won gold in the 60 metres at the World Indoor Championships and the 100 metres title at the Wanda Diamond League.

At last month’s Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Sports Awards, Alfred took home the Caribbean Female Sports Personality of the Year and the Caribbean Breakthrough Award, which she shared with Dominica’s Olympic gold medallist Thea LaFond.

She is also a finalist for the World Athletics Track Athlete of the Year, along with McLaughlin-Levrone.

Athletics Weekly is the number-one website, magazine, and social media hub in the United Kingdom for road racing, track and field, cross country, walks, trail running, fell running, mountain running, and ultra running.

Since the 1940s, Athletics Weekly’s prestigious annual awards honour the brightest and best in the UK and beyond.