'I woulda bid on these' - Alexis Ohanian rues missed opportunity on Julien Alfred's $75,000 auctioned historic spikes

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian has rued the missed opportunity of not bidding for Julien Alfred's $75,000 auctioned historic spikes as part of a fundraising celebratory cocktail hosted by her sponsors BodyHoliday.

The track spikes worn by the Saint Lucian national hero to win her second consecutive Diamond League 100m title and bronze medal at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships were sold for an incredible US$75,000 at a recent charity auction.

The event, "Power and Grace: An Evening in Honour of Julien Alfred," hosted by sponsor BodyHoliday, raised over US$100,000 for the athlete's foundation on October 11.

Alfred's custom PUMA Nitro sprint spikes bid were successfully placed by American basketball coach and businessman Kevin Graves, who serves as a mentor and manager to NBA star Bam Adebayo.

During his second visit to Saint Lucia this year, Graves spoke about the importance of supporting charitable causes like the Alfred Foundation before making the winning bid for the autographed footwear. The bidding for the spikes, which were mounted on a piece of track featuring Saint Lucia's "758" area code, began at US$1,500.

Following the successful auction of the Spikes to Graves, Jamaican sports Journalist with the username @shearer39 on X tweeted on the monumental moment, which caught the attention of American billionaire Alexis Ohanian.

The serial investor in women's sports and owner of the newly created women-only track meet ATHLOS, commented he would have loved to bid had he been aware of the auction.

"Aww I woulda bid on these if only I'd known! Congrats, Julien!!," wrote Ohanian.

Other items auctioned included the PUMA jersey and bib Alfred wore at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships. This lot was sold for US$1,900 to former professional basketball player Marcellus Bax Stiede, who has announced his candidacy for the Castries North constituency in the upcoming General Elections.

In addition, the fundraising efforts were bolstered by several significant contributions. The Alfred Foundation received a US$25,000 anonymous donation, while the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority presented $5,000. Andrew Barnard, CEO of Sunswept Resorts/BodyHoliday, contributed US$10,000, and Bay Gardens donated US$5,000.

The star-studded evening, held at BodyHoliday’s Firefly Villa in Saint Lucia, also had the presence of her fellow track stars Rhasidat Adeleke and Vernon Norwood in attendance, both of whom declared their intention to visit the Island again in the future.

Alfred's iconic 2025 season was highlighted by winning her second consecutive Diamond League title in the 100m event, and claiming bronze medal at the World Championships in Tokyo - Saint Lucia's first medal in the event in history.