Olympic champion Julien Alfred, is now chasing a second peak of her own, a maiden world title, as she lines up for the women’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
After storming to Olympic glory in Paris, Alfred began the international season in imperious form, going unbeaten for six months and claiming back-to-back Wanda Diamond League wins in Oslo and Stockholm. Her dominance made her the favorite for Tokyo, but the competition has since intensified.
Rivalry Renewed
The biggest challenge to Alfred’s crown comes from Olympic bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States. The two clashed earlier this year in Eugene, where Jefferson-Wooden edged Alfred in 10.75 against a -1.5m/s headwind, narrowly beating the St Lucian’s 10.77.
Since then, Jefferson-Wooden has soared to career-best form, clocking a world-leading 10.65 at the US trials, the fifth-fastest time in history, before adding victories in Silesia (10.66) and Brussels (10.75). Undefeated in the 100m all season, she arrives in Tokyo brimming with confidence.
“The plan is definitely to go out there and take gold,” she said in Brussels as quoted by World Athletics News.
“I’ve put myself in a really good spot to contend, and now it’s about trust.”
Alfred, meanwhile, endured a brief mid-season setback after a string of wins in Monaco and London, withdrawing from competition for five weeks. But she roared back at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, clocking 10.76 to remind the world she is still very much the woman to beat.
“I want to add another gold to my collection,” Alfred said.
“I’m fitter and stronger than at the start of the season, both physically and mentally.”
Defending Champion Richardson and Jamaican Threats
While Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred dominate the headlines, the field remains stacked. Defending world champion Sha’Carri Richardson will be in Tokyo courtesy of her wildcard entry but has yet to rediscover the blistering form that brought her gold in Budapest 2023. She has not broken 11 seconds this year.
Jamaica’s hopes rest on new national champion Tina Clayton, who has clocked 10.81 this season. Her twin sister, Tia Clayton, missed out on an individual 100m spot after injury disrupted her trials campaign, though she returned to finish second behind Alfred in Zurich.
Veteran sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 38, will also take to the track, aiming to close her legendary career on her own terms by competing in her ninth World Championships.
Kayla White, the US Championships runner-up, and Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith of Ivory Coast, a proven global performer who recently triumphed at the Continental Tour in Budapest, add further depth to the field.
Heading into Tokyo, Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden share the nine fastest times of the year, with the American holding the edge in both head-to-head results and season’s bests.
As the lights go up in Tokyo, the women’s 100m is shaping into one of the most anticipated races of the championships, a battle not just for gold, but for sprinting supremacy.
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