Track star Julien Alfred has added yet another accolade to her long list. The 23-year-old World Indoor 60m champion and Olympic 100m champion from Ciceron was named Saint Lucia’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2024 this past weekend.
The local track and field fraternity gathered on Saturday evening to celebrate athletes, coaches, and administrators who excelled over the past 12 months, as the Saint Lucia Athletics Association (SLAA) held its annual Awards Evening at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. The theme for the night was Elevating Excellence: Celebrating the Spirit of Athletics.
As expected, Alfred was awarded the title of athlete of the year, taking the honour for the fifth time since 2015. Michael Joseph, who also competed in Paris, was named Male Athlete of the Year. Former CARIFTA throws medallist Denzel Phillip was named Junior Male Athlete of the Year, whilst CARIFTA pole vault champion Naya Jules captured the female award. The Association further rewarded sprinter Ricardo Mann as Juvenile Male Athlete of the Year and Jady Emmanuel as Juvenile Female Athlete of the Year.
Athletes were recognised for representation at regional and international championships over the past year. These included the CARIFTA Games, RAN Under-17 Games, World Under-20 Championships, World Indoor Championships, and Paris Olympics. Jason Sayers, Marbeq Edgar, Neville Dupre, and Michael Biscette were also rewarded for their efforts to uplift road running locally and regionally.
Coach of the Year honours went to Cuthbert Modeste. The Technical Official of the Year was captured by Wayne Rameau. Brendaline Descarte was named Administrator of the Year, and the Long Service Award was handed to Theodore Henry Bailey, a coach, administrator, and technical official.
In her opening remarks, SLAA vice-president Makeba Alcide noted that the success of the organisation going forward will be built on six pillars. These, she said, included athlete performance, capacity building, community engagement, innovation and modernisation, increased presence at international competitions, and infrastructural development.
During his remarks, Minister for Youth Development and Sports Kenson Casimir congratulated not just the award recipients, but all who play a role in the growth of the sport. A former national track athlete himself, Casimir pledged his ministry’s continued support for the development of athletics.
Congrats to the Sista!