After a jaw-dropping start to the 2025 season that saw her demolish personal bests and national records in the 300m and 400m, the St. Lucian sprint queen Julien Alfred finally heading back to her sweet spot, the 200m.
At the Texas Relays, Alfred stunned fans with a blistering 49.8-second anchor split in the 4x400m. Then came Miramar. Lined up next to two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson in the 300m, Alfred made it look effortless. She surged past Jackson to win in 36.05 seconds, her fastest ever in the event. Jackson clocked 36.13.
But just minutes after crossing that finish line, Alfred made something else clear.
“I am done with the 400s,” she said.
The 100m Olympic gold medalist didn’t get into sprinting to run the grueling long stuff, but her coach, Edrick Floreal, had other plans.
Since 2019, Floreal has sculpted Alfred into a complete athlete, with this season’s twist throwing her into the 300m and 400m to sharpen her strength and test her limits.
Alfred Clinched 52.97-second indoor 400m at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, a St. Lucian record. A 36.16 in the indoor 300m at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston, another national record.
She’ll make her season debut at the Tom Jones Memorial on April 18. Alfred will face, NCAA champion and Commonwealth silver medalist Favour Ofili, Ireland’s 200m record-holder and European Indoor champ Rhasidat Adeleke, Tamari Davis, Daryll Neita, Nickisha Pryce, Alana Reid.
Even Athlos, the sports venture by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, highlighted Alfred’s season opener, echoing the excitement on social media.
“Real excited to see Julien’s 200m opener, especially after all the 400’s and 300’s she’s run so far this season!”
Alfred isn’t alone in the trend of sprinters stepping out of their comfort zones to build range. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the reigning Olympic 200m champion, recently clocked 45.26 in the 400m. Meanwhile, Noah Lyles, the world’s fastest 100m sprinter, will also test his speed in the 400m at the Tom Jones Memorial meet.
But for Alfred, the 200m is more than just her favorite distance, it’s her kingdom. After a silver medal finish in Paris with 22.08, just behind Gabby Thomas (21.83), she’s returning stronger, faster, and smarter. With a personal best of 21.86 from last season, she’s within striking distance of glory.
