Usain Bolt-Like Mindset Helps Julien Alfred as Track and Field Star Admits to Mental Health Issues

The sprinting journey of Julien Alfred is one of the best triumphs on the track and in personal battles. The talented 23-year-old sprinter became her nation’s first Olympic gold medalist. She made everyone super proud by bagging the 100m title in Paris 2024 by clocking 10.72 seconds. Her win brought shining success, national pride, and happiness, but with it came immense pressure, driving Alfred to talk about the emotional toll she has faced.

Just like legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, Alfred understood the necessity to prioritize her well-being over external validation and factors, but all that did help her to make that decision. This self-first approach helped her to give direction to her mental health struggles and outshine everyone in one of the world’s most demanding sports. 

Julien Alfred’s mental struggles lead to personal prioritization

Julien Alfred is Saint Lucia’s most high-profile athlete today. The small island in the Caribbean looks up to her. She began her journey at a young age, and her early day’s training was rough due to limited resources. During that time, she used to run barefoot. Her determination granted her global recognition and took her to where she stood to date. Now, she trains in Austin at the University of Texas and is a part of a reputed sprints group under Coach Edrick Floreal. Elite athletes like Britain’s former world 200m champion, Dina Asher-Smith, and Irish sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke are her peers.

But this kind of transformation and journey didn’t come easy. The turning point in Alfred’s career was marked in April 2024, shortly after her World Indoors gold win. Recalling that period, she says, “It was April when I just felt like I wasn’t myself. Every time I stepped out on the track, I felt like there was this heavy weight on my shoulders that I just really could not handle.” The level of competition wasn’t the only thing she carried. It was expectations, a truckload of them, which ultimately overwhelmed her, pushing her into such a state.

Alfred’s win made history as Saint Lucia’s first global athletics medal. But when did pressure start to take over her mind extensively? After winning the 60m gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, clocking 6.94 seconds, she expressed, “With it (world indoors gold) being Saint Lucia’s first medal, now they were expecting so much from me during that time.” This pressure led her to shift her focus from personal goals to the fear of disappointing her nation. She shares, “Instead of me focusing on doing it for myself first, being the one who’s been putting in the hard work and making the sacrifices, I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to disappoint my people. I don’t want to disappoint Saint Lucia.’ I think that’s really how it came about, after winning the world indoors.” This realization marked the start of her journey of self-prioritization. 

Usain Bolt’s influence in Alfred’s transformation

You must be wondering how Bolt came into this scenario; it’s all about the mindset that holds a common ground. Alfred’s shift mirrors the mindset of Usain Bolt, who faced similar challenges during his career. Bolt famously said, “I had to figure out that, ‘If I do well, they are going to love me. If I don’t do so well, they won’t love me so much. That’s when I figured out I had to do this for myself first.”

Inspired by this specific philosophy, Alfred began focusing on her own growth and purpose. She praises her coach, Edrick Floreal, who understood her needs and also helped her evolve. “Talking to my coach and expressing exactly how I felt,” Alfred says. Floreal adapted her training to balance mental and physical recovery, and he did an amazing job with that. His guidance enabled Alfred to realign her priorities and prepare for the Paris Olympics 2024. The harmony of everything turned out to be perfect; combined with Alfred’s will, Olympic gold couldn’t stay just a dream.

By the time she reached the 100m final, she recalls, “When you know what you’re there for, when you know your purpose, you just can’t allow yourself to get distracted.” Her victory teaches the importance of mental resilience and self-focus in sports at such a high competitive level. Sticking to a Bolt-like mindset, she overcame the weight of everything that pulled her down. In this case, fear turned out to be the driving force she needed. Channeling her emotions in a better way would help keep her mental stability in check. Alfred inspires us all about the better things in life—that prioritizing oneself can lead to extraordinary achievements, be it in sports or any spectrum of our lives.