Julien Alfred was just shy of her national record, but set a new track record and meet record in winning her event on Good Friday at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational.
The 23-year-old Olympic 100m champion and 200m silver medallist turned in her second-fastest run ever over the half-lap race, clocking 21.88 seconds for the fastest time in the world this year. She also lowered her own meet record and facility record for the event at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Alfred was far and away the class of a field that included international runners such as Nigeria’s Favour Ofili, the USA’s Tamari Davis, Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, and Jamaicans Niesha Burgher and Nickisha Pryce. In the first of five heats in the Olympic Development 200m, with a wind of just 0.2 metres per second, Ofili and Davis ran 22.34 and 22.7, respectively, for second and third.
In 2023, whilst still a student-athlete at the University of Texas, Alfred ran 21.91 at this meet, the first of three times she has ever gone under 22 seconds. On that occasion, she had a trailing wind of 1.8 metres per second. Last year, she ran a national record 21.86 at July’s London Athletics Meet, then 21.98 for Olympic silver at the Stade de France in Paris.
Going as fast as 21.88 seconds, this early in the season, and with minimal assistance from the elements, could be ominous for the Saint Lucian champion’s rivals as she ramps up for the World Championships, coming up this September in Tokyo, Japan.
“Especially based on what my coach and I I have been working on, he did say I would be around there. However, I am just super grateful to be healthy and looking forward to see what the season holds,” said Alfred after her run.
Speaking on her preseason preparation, which has included a series of over-distance races at the 300m and 400m distances, she said she felt the benefits of the preparation. “I did finish stronger,” she said. “And not breaking down as much as I did before. So I really feel the benefit of those longer races.”
Alfred will continue her season on the European circuit.
