Fresh off an eye-popping 49.8-second split in the 4x400m relay at the Texas Relays, Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred will make her outdoor individual debut this Saturday at the Miramar Invitational. However, fans expecting a showdown with world champion Sha’Carri Richardson or a traditional sprint event will be disappointed.
Despite speculation from social media accounts, olympic.com, and trackalerts about a potential clash between Alfred and Richardson in the 100m, the American star shut down rumours via Instagram, confirming she won’t compete this weekend. Two-time 200m world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica is confirmed for Miramar but is unlikely to face Alfred.
The Saint Lucian made it clear her days in the 400m are numbered, for now.
“I am done with the 400s,” Alfred revealed after her Team International won at Texas Relays. She has also run a quarter-mile event indoors. “We do have one more 300 to run … next week, God willing, in Miramar. And then we’ll be focusing on my 100 and 200. I’m excited for that.”
Coach Edrick Floreal had stated after Alfred’s Olympic triumph that she would be doing more work this season at longer distances. She was a silver medallist in the 200m at Paris 2024, behind Gabby Thomas of the USA. Alfred has previously expressed her dislike for the 200, but it’s clear that her mindset is shifting.
“Just today, I’m just realising how strong I am,” she shared. “So I’m already seeing what I can do. It’s just for me to go out there, trust his training, trust his plan, and just work on execution.
“It’s a 400, so of course it’s going to hurt. But my coach and I, we’ve been working on a lot of strength, trying to get stronger for the last 20-30 metres of my race, and also the 200m as well. So I’m really just trusting the process, doing these 400s that he promised I would be doing, and the 300 as well, but I’m just happy to be healthy.”
With Tokyo 2025 on the horizon, the 23-year-old seems as eager as her supporters to return to her marquee events.
She is likely to have a large Saint Lucian cheering section at Miramar, and she closed her interview with a heartfelt message for her fellow Saint Lucians and potential visitors. “Love y’all,” she said. “Thank you for supporting me always. And to those of you who are not Saint Lucians, please visit Saint Lucia. We have jazz coming up, so y’all should go to (Saint Lucia) Jazz & Arts Festival.”
