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• Being named tourism ambassador 'a special honour' for Olympic champion Alfred

  Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred expressed her deep pride and gratitude on Instagram after being named a Tourism Ambassador for her home country of St. Lucia. Alfred, who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning gold in the 100m with a lifetime best of 10.72 seconds and silver in the 200m, said the new title has a special significance for her.

  From September 24 to October 2, St. Lucia celebrated Alfred's remarkable achievements at the Games. The 23-year-old sprinter’s performances have earned her a place in the hearts of her fellow countrymen, and her contributions were recognized with several significant honours. Among the rewards, Alfred was presented with EC$1 million from the government of St. Lucia, EC$75,000 from the St. Lucia Olympic Committee, and a 10,000 square foot plot of land. In addition, a monument will be erected in her honour, and the Millennium Highway will be renamed the Julien Alfred Highway.

  

  However, despite these accolades, Alfred revealed that being named Tourism Ambassador holds particular meaning for her. "September 26th was truly a special day for me," she shared on Instagram. "I’ve always taken much pride in representing my country both on or off the track, but being officially announced as a Tourism Ambassador and being the Tourism Gimie Awardee for 2024 brings me an unwavering amount of joy."

  Alfred went on to express her gratitude to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority for the opportunity, acknowledging the significance of this moment in her journey. "A huge thank you to the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority for allowing this young girl from Ciceron, with a dream, to receive such prestigious titles."

  Her love for her island was evident in her closing remarks. "No matter where I may roam, I will forever LOVE my island home and represent as a proud Saint Lucian," she wrote.

  Alfred's achievements on the track have undoubtedly made her a global icon, but her new role as Tourism Ambassador gives her a unique platform to continue representing St. Lucia with pride and passion, both on and off the track.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Olympic bronze medallist Campbell wants more appreciation for athletes in Jamaica

  When an athlete makes history for their country in the world’s biggest sporting spectacle, the Olympic Games, the typical reaction from that country is some sort of acknowledgement or celebration of that historic performance.

  Unfortunately, this has yet to be the case for Jamaican shot putter Rajindra Campbell.

  Campbell became the first Jamaican man to ever medal in a throwing event at an Olympic Games when he threw 22.15m to win bronze in Paris on August 3.

  Four days after Campbell’s performance, Roje Stona also made history, throwing a personal best 70.00m for gold in the discus, becoming Jamaica’s first ever Olympic champion in a throwing event.

  In the latest episode of SportsMax TV’s Out D Blocks hosted by Leighton Levy and D Major, the 28-year-old national record holder spoke candidly about the lack of acknowledgment and appreciation back home for these historic achievements.

  “We have talked about it. The only problem is, as what Omar McLeod mentioned at trials about the 2016 Olympics, we don’t feel the appreciation from Jamaica,” Campbell said, referencing Omar McLeod’s comments after the Olympic trials where he spoke about not feeling appreciated by Jamaica after his Olympic gold medal performance eight years ago.

  “You see the kind of celebration Julien Alfred got? I’m not expecting the same here but Jamaica has such a rich history in track and field, I don’t think the athletes are really appreciated for what they do,” he added.

  Campbell, born in Ocho Rios, moved to Joplin, Missouri in 2018 to attend Missouri Southern State University where he attended for three years.

  He noted that he’s received more of a celebration for his achievement in Joplin than back home in Jamaica.

  “I met with the school President on Wednesday of last week and he explained certain things they have in store for me and there is a big sign on campus that people come in and see. It’s a different celebration taking place here compared to Jamaica,” he said.

  As Campbell noted, whenever a Jamaican is in an event, Jamaicans expect them to do well. He wonders whether more appreciation would be given to the athletes when they do well if people understood the sacrifices they make on a daily basis.

  “The love for Jamaica will never die. We will always continue to represent but, at the same time, the amount of sacrifice it takes to get to the level we are, something that I’ve found is once there is a Jamaican in an event, you’re expected to do well. How do we get there?”

  “When you actually get there it’s like ‘Oh! I expected it or I knew you could do it.’ At the same time, there’s a journey that nobody really understands,” he continued.

  He added that there has been no communication to him or Stona regarding any sort of celebration or acknowledgement in Jamaica.

  Out D Blocks can be seen live every Thursday on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel.

   

   

   

   

   

• Fit-again Mbappe not selected by France

  Kylian Mbappe has been left out of France's squad for their Nations League games against Israel and Belgium.

  Mbappe, who sustained a muscular injury while in action for Real Madrid last month, returned to action for Los Blancos on Wednesday.

  The 25-year-old was a substitute but could not help Madrid avoid falling to a 1-0 defeat at Lille in the Champions League.

  However, Didier Deschamps has made the call to rest Mbappe for this month's fixtures.

  "He has a problem that is not serious. I'm not here to take risks, which is why Kylian isn't on the list," Deschamps told reporters.

  Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, meanwhile, was called up, while Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku has also been selected for the first time since June 2023.

  Lucas Digne, who was called up as an injury replacement for the last squad, has kept his place after some impressive displays for Aston Villa.

  Mbappe's Madrid team-mate Eduardo Camavinga has also been called up after recovering from a knee injury.

  France lost to Italy in their Nations League opener, but bounced back by beating Belgium 2-0.

  France squad in full:

  Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (Milan), Brice Samba (Lens); Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich); Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Milan), Matteo Guendouzi (Lazio), Manu Kone (Roma), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG); Bradley Barcola (PSG), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter).