Olympic 200m silver medallist Julien Alfred is aiming for her 10th win of the season when she runs the 200m on Saturday at the Novuna London Athletics Meet, a Wanda Diamond League event. The fastest woman over the distance this year, Alfred is expected to upgrade from the silver she took at this venue last year, the first time she had ever competed in London.
But as Alfred, the Paris 2024 100m champion, prepares for September’s World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, she is also looking forward to the future of Saint Lucian athletics. The first Olympic medallist from her country, the 24-year-old from Ciceron, on Friday expressed confidence in the next generation of sprinters from Fair Helen.
Specifically, Alfred was asked about Saint Lucia’s prospects for the relays. At the nation’s first Olympic appearance, Atlanta 1996, Saint Lucia competed in the men’s 4x400m. At the last Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022, the Olympic Committee fielded a men’s 4x100m team, which made the final. Women’s relays have been far less frequent at the higher levels of the sport, but Alfred hinted that this could change in the future.
“I don’t have a relay team,” she noted at the pre-meet press conference. “However, we do have a few athletes, young athletes coming up. We have Naomi London, she’s now at Texas. We also have Jady Emmanuel, who just won two gold medals at the CARIFTA Games. So, we do have a few athletes who are up and coming, so I’m hoping in the near future we can have a relay team.”
Alfred also spoke about being a trailblazer for athletes like London, Emmanuel and hurdler Aasia Laurencin. She explained that Commonwealth Games women’s high jump gold medallist and Olympic finalist Levern Spencer had been a big influence on her as a young athlete, and she wants to be the same for the ones coming up.
“Well, I hope I can be [a role model] for them, representing Saint Lucia on a global stage,” she stated. “Levern Spencer, who was a high jumper for Saint Lucia, was my role model, especially being Saint Lucian herself. Growing up, in primary school, we heard about her a lot. So I’m hoping that I can be an inspiration for the youth in Saint Lucia.”
A relaxed Alfred said she has “great expectation” on Saturday, when she will compete with training partners Dina Asher-Smith and Rashidat Adeleke. Last year, she set a national record of 21.86 seconds in London. She has run 21.88 this year, the fastest in the world this season.
Alfred is excited about making just her second appearance in London, stressing that friendly faces in the audience are a significant factor in her comfort level.
“I would have to say the crowd was what stood out to me most,” she said. “I would like to talk about the Saint Lucia diaspora who’s here in London. I mean, we have so many Saint Lucians here, so it would be a pleasure competing in front of them.”
Saturday’s race is scheduled for 10:38 a.m. Saint Lucian time.
