stluciatimes, caribbean, caribbeannews, stlucia, saintlucia, stlucianews, saintlucianews, stluciatimesnews, saintluciatimes, stlucianewsonline, saintlucianewsonline, st lucia news online, stlucia news online, loop news, loopnewsbarbados

Alfred Set for Unusual Season Opener

World Indoors 60m champion Julien Alfred and coach Edrick Floreal have sprung a surprise to open the 2025 season. 

As reported by St Lucia Times in December, the 23-year-old from Ciceron will headline the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix this weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, marking her season debut, and her first outing since capturing the Wanda Diamond League 100m crown last September in Brussels. 

But the second-fastest woman of all time over 60m won’t be running in the event that got her a first global title in Glasgow last March. Instead, it was announced on Monday that the 2024 Olympic 100m champion and 200m silver medallist will contest the women’s 300m on Sunday.

Alfred has only ever run the 300m once, clocking 37.36 in June 2022. That performance was the 22nd fastest for the year, and 147th all time. But in the off-season, coach Flo publicly committed her to doing longer events this year to help build her speed endurance. 

The Saint Lucian champion, one of the biggest names confirmed for the TRACK at New Balance, will face off against British training partner, Dina Asher-Smith, and Lynna Irby-Jackson of the USA. 

Asher-Smith, 29, won a 200m world title in 2019. But she’s even further removed from the 300, last having run that distance at the age of 15. Irby-Jackson, third at this event in last year’s meet, could provide a stiff test. The 10th fastest woman ever over 300m, she is largely a specialist in the long sprints Indoors.

The TRACK at New Balance, opened in 2022, is designed to be the fastest track in the world, with a 200-metre hydraulically banked indoor track as its centrepiece. Last year’s 300m was won by the woman who would go on to take the Olympic 200m gold—Gabby Thomas of the USA. That race produced three of the top 20 fastest runs in the history of the event. 

The 2025 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix will be shown live on NBC from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 2, and will be the second stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour. The series of the best indoor athletics events around the world awards overall tour winners US$10 000.

Any third-party or user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries published on the St. Lucia Times website (https://stluciatimes.com) in no way convey the thoughts, sentiments or intents of St. Lucia Times, the author of any said article or post, the website, or the business. St. Lucia Times is not responsible or liable for, and does not endorse, any comments or replies posted by users and third parties, and especially the content therein and whether it is accurate. St. Lucia Times reserves the right to remove, screen, edit, or reinstate content posted by third parties on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times (this includes the said user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries) at our sole discretion for any reason or no reason, and without notice to you, or any user. For example, we may remove a comment or reply if we believe it violates any part of the St. Lucia Criminal Code, particularly section 313 which pertains to the offence of Libel. Except as required by law, we have no obligation to retain or provide you with copies of any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times. All third-parties and users agree that this is a public forum, and we do not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website. Any posts made and information disclosed by you is at your own risk.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

TRENDING

Subscribe to our St. Lucia Times Newsletter

Get our headlines emailed to you every day.

Subscribe to our St. Lucia Times Newsletter

Get our headlines emailed to you every day.

Share via
Send this to a friend