Related items

• September 27 declared National Holiday in honour of Olympic champion Julien Alfred: some say it's not enough

  In a historic moment for Saint Lucia, September 27 will officially be declared "Julien Alfred Day," a national holiday in honor of Julien Alfred, who became the first athlete from the island to win an Olympic gold medal. Alfred made history by claiming gold in the 100 meters with a lifetime best and national record of 10.72 seconds, and also secured a silver medal in the 200 meters at the Paris Olympic Games. No St Lucian athlete had ever won an Olympic medal before her extraordinary achievement.

  Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre made the announcement during a pre-cabinet press briefing on Monday, unveiling the grand celebrations planned for Alfred's return to the island. Alfred, who has become a national hero, will return to Saint Lucia on September 24 for the first time since her Olympic triumph. A series of events has been organized to mark the occasion, including a motorcade, school rallies, and a mural unveiling, culminating in a national holiday on September 27.

  The celebrations will begin on September 24 when Alfred returns to Saint Lucia, where she will be greeted with a motorcade along the East Coast. On September 25, national school rallies will be held at Soufriere Mini Stadium and La Resource Playing Field to celebrate her achievements. The following day, September 26, Alfred will visit The Ciceron Primary School for the unveiling of a mural in her honour, followed by what officials have described as "massive announcements."

  "Julien Alfred Day" will be celebrated with a free concert at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on the evening of the holiday, with Saint Lucians being encouraged to come out in large numbers to honor their national icon.

  In response to the Prime Minister's announcement, citizens expressed their gratitude and pride, while also calling for further recognition of Alfred's accomplishments. Some suggested that Alfred should be awarded a diplomatic passport and the keys to the city of Castries. Others proposed the establishment of a Julien Alfred Fund for elite athletes and a legacy project aimed at developing sports in Saint Lucia to a world-class level.

  Alfred’s achievements have not only brought immense pride to Saint Lucia but have also placed the island on the global athletics map. Her gold and silver medals at the Paris Olympics have inspired a new generation of athletes in Saint Lucia, and the celebrations are expected to be a momentous occasion of national unity and pride.

  With the announcement of "Julien Alfred Day," Saint Lucians are set to celebrate not only Alfred's success but also the potential of their small island to produce world-class athletes who can compete and succeed on the biggest stages in sport.

• Adelle Tracey determined to bounce back after injury setback at Paris Olympics

  Jamaican middle-distance runner Adelle Tracey is determined to return stronger after an injury hampered her 2024 Paris Olympic campaign, preventing her from making the finals of both the 800m and 1500m. Despite this disappointment, Tracey, who switched her allegiance to Jamaica in 2022 after representing Great Britain, remains motivated and focused on the future. She is eager to build on her recent successes, including breaking Jamaica's 1500m national record at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

  Tracey’s Olympic season was derailed by a plantar fascia tear that first occurred in May. The injury, which she sustained just before the start of the season, forced her to make significant adjustments to her preparation. “The tear first happened, actually in May. I was supposed to compete at the Diamond League in Eugene, and that was going to be one of my first races of the season. And literally the week before, I tore it in training. I couldn’t walk for a good week after that happened,” she explained.

  Despite the setback, Tracey remained hopeful and kept pushing her season opener back while cross-training to maintain her fitness. “The whole time, I was cross training really hard because I was in great shape in May, just before I did it, so I was really kind of positive that I would hold on to some of that fitness,” she said. However, the pain from the injury persisted, especially with the demands placed on her foot. “It was just really tough because when it's a foot injury, there's no avoiding the pain because you put so much force through your feet,” she said, her anguish apparent.

  

  At the Jamaican trials, Tracey pushed herself to compete in spikes for the first time since her injury, despite not being fully ready. “I set myself back a little bit at the Jamaican trials, having to put myself in spikes so early, but obviously I wanted to make sure that I secured automatic qualification for the Olympics,” she shared.

  Reflecting on the mental challenge of competing while injured, Tracey admitted it was one of the toughest experiences of her career. “It’s so tough, especially the timing of this one, probably the hardest challenge I’ve had to overcome in sport,” she revealed. ” I worked harder than I’ve ever worked to get to that start line and be able to get round. So there was a lot of pride in even making it there and being able to put on spikes that week.”

  Despite not being at her best, Tracey remained focused on giving her all in Paris. “My main goal was to race my best race. I just wanted to come away thinking, okay, I’ve actually done everything I could there, and I know that that's going to be so much easier when I'm healthy.”

  While her Olympic campaign didn’t go as planned, Tracey’s earlier achievement at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest was a reminder of her talent and potential. In Budapest, she broke Yvonne Graham’s 28-year-old Jamaican 1500m record, clocking 3:58.77 in the semi-finals to become the first Jamaican woman to run under four minutes in the event. That performance solidified her status as a rising star in Jamaican athletics.

   

  Now out of the boot that she had worn to protect her injury, Tracey has begun the rehabilitation process and is feeling optimistic about the future. “With a plantar fascia tear, it's just a case of healing. I wasn’t able to give it time to heal because I was trying to prepare for the Olympics, but now it's just a case of letting it heal. Now that I’ve come out of the boot, it’s about getting strong again and making sure that I have the proportions in place so that that doesn’t happen again,” she explained.

  Tracey is already looking ahead to her recovery and the coming season. “I’ll start my rehab program, and I think I’ll probably do two weeks of strength and conditioning before I’ll be able to start returning to running. It might be like two minutes on, one minute off sort of running, and we’ll just build that back up.”

  Despite the challenges, Tracey remains driven to return to competition in even better shape. “I think I’m more motivated than ever to kind of get back to where I was and beyond that,” she said. “I’ve got my sights set on the indoors as well because of not having the opportunities to have raced as much this year. I know I’ll be back running by the end of September, so actually, I’m ahead of schedule in terms of preparations for next year.”

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Numbers Game: Ex-Irish international Carsley out to prove England credentials in Dublin

  England will play their first match without Gareth Southgate in the dugout when they take on the Republic of Ireland.

  Southgate quit his post in the wake of England's 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 in July.

  That ended a hugely successful eight-year stint for Southgate when it came to turning around the fortunes of the Three Lions, and restoring England's pride in the national team.

  Yet for all the promise and potential, England could not get over the line when it truly mattered, falling short in two Euros finals, and a World Cup semi-final.

  England had endured a miserable Nations League campaign before their exploits in Germany, and in hindsight, it showed that perhaps Southgate's magic was wearing off.

  Now in League B, having been relegated from League A, England's first match after Southgate sees them face an old rival, as former Ireland international Lee Carsley aims to prove his credentials to the Football Association (FA).

  Having won last year's Under-21 Euros, Carsley will surely be hoping he can follow in Southgate's footsteps in transferring from the youth set up to the senior side.

  Here, using Opta data, we delve into the key talking points ahead of Saturday's clash in Dublin.

  What's expected?

  It's always hard to fully gauge what a team will look like under a new manager, especially in international football. 

  That being said, while we do not quite know what Carsley's England will look like, we can be sure that they are the favourites for this one, with Opta's supercomputer handing them a 70.4% win probability.

  Ireland, on the other hand, have been given just a 13.2% win likelihood, while the threat of a draw is 16.5%.

  This is England's first game without Southgate in charge since a 1-0 win over Slovakia in September 2016 in Sam Allardyce's one and only game.

  Including caretakers, only four managers have lost their first game in charge of the Three Lions: Alf Ramsey (2-5 vs France in 1963), Howard Wilkinson (0-2 vs France in 1999), Peter Taylor (0-1 vs Italy in 2000) and Stuart Pearce (2-3 vs Netherlands at the 2012 Olympics when coaching Team GB).

  It is fair to say Carsley, who played 40 times for Ireland between 1997 and 2008, has history on his side. Will he continue those strong records?

  New blood

  Carsley, as expected, freshened up his squad with some new faces. Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento and Noni Madueke all made the cut.

  Gomes, Gibbs-White and Madueke made 50 appearances combined for Carsley in the U21s, so it is not a huge surprise to see the trio given a shot, while Livramento has usurped Kieran Trippier, who has now retired from international football, at Newcastle United this season.

  At last year's U21 Euros, Carsley's team scored 11 goals in six games, outperforming their 8.5 expected goals (xG) and, despite not dominating possession, averaging 56.4%, they scored the most build-up goals at the tournament (seven) - a build-up goal is an open play sequence that features 10+ passes and ends in a goal.

  Given England performed so poorly, relative to the quality at their disposal, in attack at Euro 2024, perhaps Carsley's approach can help get the best out of that star-studded frontline, albeit Phil Foden, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer have all withdrawn from the squad.

  Indeed, England have scored just 13 goals in 11 games in 2024, having netted 26 in 10 games in 2023. Their 2024 average of 1.2 goals per game is their lowest in a year since 2000 (exactly one per game, 11 goals in 11 games), so Carsley has a relatively low bar to improve on.

  What about the defence, though? Southgate was a pragmatic manager, and in fairness, England only allowed 7.3 xG against through their seven matches at Euro 2024.

  However, they have shipped the opening goal in each of their last four matches, all in the knockout stages in Germany (W2 D1 L1). The Three Lions have not conceded the opener in five games in a row since between November 1953 and June 1954.

  And going back to that U21 Euros, Carsley's side did not concede a single goal, albeit the xGA metric suggests they should have conceded at least seven.

  While the fresh faces in England's squad will be looking to stake a claim, Jack Grealish has been handed a reprieve after missing out on Euro 2024. And, right at the top of the pitch, there is the experience and world-class finishing ability of Harry Kane, who is closing in on his 100th cap - should he play in Dublin, that will be appearance number 99 for his country.

   

  Ireland's new era

  It is not just Carsley that is making his bow in the dugout on Saturday. Heimir Hallgrimsson is Ireland's new boss, with the former Jamaica and Iceland coach having been appointed earlier in the summer.

  Hallgrimsson has previous with England, of course. He was in joint charge of Iceland when they knocked Roy Hodgson's Three Lions out of Euro 2016.

  The only manager to defeat England with two different nations is Bora Milutinovic, in 1985 with Mexico and in 1993 with the United States.

  And what better way to start a new era than a big win over a big rival?

  This is the first time Ireland will host England since a goalless draw in a friendly in June 2015. In a competitive match, it is the first time since a November 1990 European Championship qualifier, drawn 1-1 with Tony Cascarino cancelling out David Platt's opener for the Three Lions.

  England also won their last meeting with Ireland in November 2020 – they have not won consecutive games against them since doing so with wins in 1980 and 1985.

  Ireland last beat England in 1995, though the sides have only met each other three times since, with two draws and one win for England: that 3-0 triumph in 2020.

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Republic of Ireland - Evan Ferguson

  Ferguson could not quite get going last season after a bright start for Brighton, but he is still one of the Premier League's most exciting youngsters.

  The striker is Ireland's big hope going forward and will be out to make his mark against one of the best teams in the world.

   

  England - Harry Kane

  Kane ranks 10th on the all-time list of England caps and has made 85 starts, playing 7,616 minutes, directly contributing to 83 goals (66 goals – an England record – and 17 assists). He averages 0.78 goals per 90, and 0.98 goal contributions per 90.

  Indeed, Kane averages a goal every 115 minutes for his country, and he will surely be the key man for Carsley as the interim manager looks to capitalise on this audition.