Olympic champion Alfred set to face America’s best

Olympic women’s 100m champion Julien Alfred has confirmed her participation in the Prefontaine Classic on July 5 at Eugene’s iconic Hayward Field. The 24-year-old Saint Lucian will headline the women’s 100m at this Wanda Diamond League meet, but she faces one of her toughest tests ahead of September’s World Championships in Tokyo.

Alfred is set to compete against US Olympic silver and bronze medallists Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Richardson, 25, is the defending world champion, while Jefferson-Wooden, 24, holds the world’s fastest time this year, a personal best of 10.73, set earlier this month in Philadelphia.

All three rank among the top 10 fastest women in history. Richardson’s 10.65 to win the world title in Hungary two years ago ties her for fifth all-time alongside Marion Jones and Shericka Jackson. Alfred’s Olympic gold was secured in 10.72, making her the joint eighth-fastest ever with Marie-Josée Ta Lou. Jefferson-Wooden’s Philadelphia run matched Christine Arron’s longstanding mark.

Richardson has broken 10.80 ten times since 2021, including six since 2023. Alfred has done so three times (legally), and Jefferson-Wooden once. But their 2025 form tells a different story.

Alfred remains unbeaten this year, winning her last three 100m races, a streak dating back to the Diamond League final in Brussels nine months ago. She has claimed victory in eight of her last nine outings at this distance. Her only loss in that span? A defeat to Richardson at last September’s Weltklasse Zurich. Since 2024, the two global champions have clashed five times, with Alfred leading 3-2.

The Saint Lucian star holds a 4-3 edge over Richardson overall, including wins in Brussels and twice in Paris last year. At last May’s Pre Classic, Alfred finished second (10.93) behind Richardson, but since then, she has dipped under 10.90 in all but one 100m race.

Against Jefferson-Wooden, Alfred boasts a perfect record of four wins in five 100m matchups, dating back to their collegiate days. The former Texas standout has the second and third-fastest times this year, trailing only her former Coastal Carolina rival.

Jefferson-Wooden, also unbeaten in 2025, has raced three times this season, posting the year’s two quickest times. Richardson, meanwhile, has competed just once since the 2024 Diamond League final, clocking a subdued 11.47 for fourth place in Tokyo last month.

After early-season over-distance training, Alfred opened her outdoor campaign with a world-leading 21.88 in the 200m. The top-ranked 100m sprinter since August 2024, she began her Diamond League title defence in style by winning in Oslo (10.89) and setting a Stockholm meet record (10.75).

The two Americans, both Nike athletes, thrive at Hayward Field. Richardson has won back-to-back US titles here and dominated the 2024 Pre Classic, with three of her four fastest times coming at this venue.

Alfred, a PUMA athlete, claimed the 2022 NCAA title on the same track.

While the 2025 Pre Classic 100m winner may fade from memory, this race offers crucial bragging rights and momentum ahead of Tokyo. For the Americans, it’s also a chance to accumulate Diamond League points. Alfred, already leading the standings, has the luxury of focusing solely on the Worlds.

After Eugene, just four Diamond League meets remain before the August 27-28 final in Zurich, just two weeks before Tokyo. Richardson, as defending world champion, has a bye but must still compete at US trials. Jefferson-Wooden faces the same requirement.

For now, all eyes are on next weekend’s midseason showdown: a potential Olympic rematch and a preview of what could unfold in Tokyo.