The Jamaican superstar, who will be 37 years old in December, is attempting to win a third Olympic 100m gold medal to add to the ones she won in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. She will also be hoping to extend her incredible record of being the only woman to win a medal in the 100m at five consecutive Olympic Games.
It is a tall order, especially when one considers that she will be attempting these history-making feats against possibly the fastest women’s 100m field ever assembled, especially if the likes of world champion Sha’Carri Richardson (10.65), Shericka Jackson (10.65), Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54), Marie Josee Ta Lou (10.72) and Julien Alfred (10.81) show up in their best form.
However, like the warrior she has been for more than a decade, the self-styled Pocket Rocket remains undaunted. But first, she has to heal her body that has been showing signs of wear and tear with knee, hamstring and other undisclosed injuries that significantly impacted her 2023 season.
“It’s not really my knee alone that has been giving me trouble but at this stage of my career I am trying to be patient in my recovery, making sure I give myself enough time to come back and not to rush coming back,” said the five-time world 100m champion.
“One of the beauties about me is the fact that I am really tough mentally and I know what the end goal is, what I want to achieve and what I need to do to get there. So, I really want to be patient with myself and trust in my doctors and my team to make sure that next year I am ready to stand on the line first at the national championships and then ultimately, in Paris.
“I know within my heart that there is so much more to come and once I have that belief and that God will give me the strength to get to that point.”
She expressed unwavering confidence that once she is healthy again, she will be capable of taking on all challengers who will likely line up in Paris.
“Without a doubt. It’s athletics, injuries happen,” she declared. “I have been blessed to not have many throughout my career and I think that is what I am relying on, the fact that I have been relatively good in terms of health; apart from my knee and whatever else is happening, I’ve been good. I am just looking forward to just getting healthy 100 per cent fit and sometimes you won’t be 100 per cent but 90 is good enough for me.”
Fraser-Pryce, who boasts a personal best of 10.60 which makes her the third fastest woman all time, said she will rely on her tried and proven method of success that has seen her win two individual 100m gold medals, five World 100m titles, a 200m title and a chest full of other medals during the course of her career that began 16 years ago as a relay substitute at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
“The depth of the sprinters has always been there, for female sprinting. There’s always a host of different athletes that are coming and preparing and for me the focus is staying focused on your own lane, on what you need to do to get to the top, “she said. “As far as I am concerned having competition is good. It pushes you, it makes you aware that you can’t just go to practice and think that’s enough. You have to work, you have to be committed to that work and you have to be willing to go the extra mile.
“I don’t think about the depth, really, it’s always been there, it’s not going to change. It is what it is. It’s the Olympics, everybody wants to win an Olympic medal. So I don’t want to spend my time focusing on what others are doing but instead I invest the time and effort in my own craft and make sure that when the Olympics come around I will be ready.”
The 21-year-old had jumps of 6.74m and 6.61m in the first two rounds before jumping out to her massive new personal best and world leading jump in the third. She subsequently passed on her next three jumps.
Oklahoma’s Pippi Lotta Enok produced 6.65m for second while Kansas State’s Shalom Olotu jumped 6.41 for third.
On the track, St. Lucians had an excellent day. First, Kansas’s Michael Joseph ran a personal best 44.77 to advance fastest into the men’s 400m final. Texas’s Jonathan Jones also advanced to the final with 45.70.
Then, Texas’s 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Julien Alfred, produced 10.74, albeit with a 3.4m/s wind, to advance fastest to the women’s 100m final.
Texas also had the second and third fastest qualifiers to the women’s 100m final through Kevona Davis (10.93) and Ezinne Abba (10.93).
Bahamian Terrence Jones ran 10.35 to advance third fastest in the men’s equivalent.
The 100m hurdles saw Jamaican Texas Tech senior Demisha Roswell advance fastest with 12.92.
Roswell’s Bahamian Texas Tech teammate, Antoine Andrews, ran 13.57 to advance in the men’s 110m hurdles.
The sprinter from St Lucia won the NCAA indoor title last year in a North American record of 6.94, just 0.02 shy of the long-standing world record. She also won the NCAA indoor 200m title in 22.01, which also moved her to second on the world indoor all-time list.
Outdoors, she went undefeated at 100m from April to August. Her first and only loss of the year came in the World Championships final, where she placed fifth. She went one better in the 200m, finishing fourth.
Alfred will take on a strong field that includes 2019 world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith. The 28-year-old holds British records for 60m, 100m and 200m, and owns eight global medals as well as seven continental medals, four of them gold.
“The Millrose Games is one of the most prestigious and historic indoor competitions in the USA, and I am looking forward to racing there for the first time,” said Asher-Smith, who recently relocated to the US. “I am really enjoying my new training set up in Austin, and I’m looking forward to a big year in 2024.”
USA’s 2016 Olympic 4x100m champion English Gardner, winner of the 60m at the Millrose Games in 2019, will also be in the line-up, so too will Jamaica’s Briana Williams, who won Olympic 4x100m gold in 2021.
World indoor bronze medallist Marybeth Sant-Price, 2023 Millrose runner-up Tamari Davis, 2016 Olympic 4x100m silver medallist Shashalee Forbes and NACAC silver medallist Celera Barnes.
The 21-year-old defending champion ran a new personal best and championship record 6.96, the joint-fourth fastest time ever, to win heat one and advance to Saturday’s final as the fastest qualifier.
The Commonwealth Games 100m silver-medallist entered the championships as a massive favorite to retain her title as she is unbeaten in the event this season with winning times of 7.05, 7.02, 7.05, 7.00, 7.03 and 6.97.
Alfred, now the joint-fastest Caribbean woman of all time in the event alongside Jamaican legend Merlene Ottey, will be joined in the final by Jamaican Clemson senior Kiara Grant who wan 7.14 for third in the first heat.
Later, Alfred also ran 22.38 to advance to the final of the 200m. LSU's Favor Ofili was the fastest qualifier with a spectacular 22.11, the third fastest time ever behind Merlene Ottey's 21.87 and Abby Steiner's 22.09.
Elsewhere, Jamaican Arkansas sophomore Joanne Reid ran 51.98 to advance to the final of the Women’s 400m.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist, who ran 6.97, a new personal best and NCAA and national record, to win the 60m earlier on Saturday, showed the same awesome form to set a new meet record in the 200m as well.
The 21-year-old ran 22.26, another personal best, to win comfortably ahead of teammate Lanae Thomas (22.63) and Texas tech’s Rosemary Chukwuma (22.68).
Jamaican Texas sophomore Kevona Davis was fourth in 22.76.
Alfred, who became the joint-second fastest in the event with her personal best 6.94 last season, ran 7.04 for victory ahead of Tennessee’s Jacious Sears (7.09) and San Diego State’s Hannah Waller (7.26).
The men’s 60m hurdles saw LSU Sophomore Jaheim Stern produce 7.71 to win ahead od Cal State Fullerton’s Abel Jordan (7.72) and LSU’s Matthew Sophia (7.73).
Lanae-Tava Thomas, who was third in the 200m on Friday, went one better in the 400m on Saturday. Her time in second was 51.67, a good distance behind winner Rhasidat Adeleke’s 51.12. Jamaican Texas sophomore Dejanea Oakley ran 52.23 for third.
In the field, Vincentian Georgia Senior Mickeisha Welcome jumped 13.52m for second in the women’s triple jump behind American Jasmine Moore (14.32m). Asia Phillips of Flying Angels International was third with 13.21m.
Alfred ran 11.34 in the preliminaries before returning to run 11.07 to comfortably win the final ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Akilah Lewis (11.55) and Leah Bertrand (11.57).
Alfred goes into the World Championships in Eugene later this month on the back of some excellent form. The Texas standout ran a personal best and national record 10.81, the fourth fastest time on the world this year, at the Big 12 Championships on May 14.
She then went on run 11.02 to win the 100m at the NCAA Championships on June 11.
Meanwhile, Trinidad & Tobago’s Kion Benjamin ran 10.36 to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of Franquelo Perez Occena of the Dominican Republic (10.55) and Antigua’s Darrion Skerritt (10.72).
Jamaica’s Anthony Cox, who was named in their World Championships squad on Friday as well, ran 46.15 to lead all qualifiers into the Men’s 400m final while the Dominican Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil Fernandez (51.11) led all qualifiers in the Women’s equivalent.
Elsewhere, Puerto Rico’s Paola Fernandez Sola won the Women’s long jump with a 6.15m effort ahead of Cuba’s Yani Carrion Cremdelly (5.81m) and Guyana’s Chantoba Bright (5.85m).
Antigua’s Sheldon Noble jumped 7.31m to win the Men’s equivalent ahead of the Cayman Islands’ Louis Gordon (7.23m) and Grenada’s Nishon Pierre (6.91m).
Alfred, the University of Texas senior, who dominated the NCAA Indoor season and was named USTFCCA Indoor Athlete of the Year, has taken her outstanding form outdoors, running 10.95 to win the blue-ribbon dash over Texas teammate Kevona Davis who edged Ashanti Moore by 0.004 to take second. Both women were credited with 11.14.
American Gabby Thomas, the Tokyo Olympics 200m bronze medallist demonstrated her strength in the 400m which she won in a personal best 49.68.
Lynna Irby-Jackson finished second in 50.40 while first-year pro Charokee Young was third in 50.64.
Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles silver medallist Shiann Salmon was fifth in 51.99.
Texas senior Johnathan Jones was third in the 400m clocking 46.50 while finishing behind Texas State’s Dominic Yancy who ran 46.39 and winner Brian Herron of Texas, who crossed the line in 46.14.
Wasome, meanwhile, was winning the triple jump with a jump of 16.80m.
Jeremiah Davies of Florida State University’s 16.01m gave him second while Jemuel Allen of the University of Texas at San Antonio jumped 15.50m for third.
Alfred, who has a personal best of 6.94s, was always expected to continue her rich vein of form with a podium finish, but her gold medal prospects improved even more when her main rival Aleia Hobbs of the United States pulled out of the final with an injury.
Still, the 22-year-old Alfred showed her class, as she burst through the middle of Poland’s Ewa Swoboda (7.00s) and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso (7.05s), to finish tops.
"It feels good, I don't know how they are behaving right now, but I am sure they are happy. I have been working hard for such a long time to come out here and give my country their first ever gold medal and I am so happy, overwhelmed and ecstatic right now," Alfred said shortly after the race.
St Lucia’s Minister of Sport Kenson Casimir congratulated Alfred on the feat which has given the Eastern Caribbean Island much to celebrate.
“St Lucia's first ever global medallist in any sporting event and I think what makes it even more special is the fact that it is a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships. Of course, we are so proud, our entire nation is so proud. Of course, when you've won a medal, they say St Lucia wins it, so I can see every single individual really, really enjoying what we just witnessed today,” Casimir told SportsMax.TV.
“Of course, I want to say congratulations to her family, Julian is somebody from humble, humble, humble beginnings from Castries, St Lucia, and she's doing so well, and we just look forward to even bigger and better things later on this year at the Olympic Games,” he added.
On that note, Casimir declared his government’s intentions to continue throwing the necessary support behind Alfred as she continues to progress in her budding career.
“We certainly believe that there's more to come from Julien. She is young. She has worked really hard her entire life from coming from the Leon Hess comprehensive secondary school and going over to high school in Jamaica and then later on to Texas.
“She has really worked extremely hard and so as a government, we continue to put our resources behind her as she has transitioned so effectively into being a professional. And of course, with Coach Flo behind her from the University of Texas, we only expect bigger and better things from Julien Alfred,” he shared.
Earlier, Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald clocked a new personal best 45.65s for bronze in the men’s 400m.
McDonald produced his usual late burst to secure his first ever indoor medal, and in the process became the first ever global male 400m medallist for coach Stephen Francis.
The event was won by Belgium’s Alexander Doom in a new national record 45.25s, ahead of World and Olympic 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm, who clocked a season’s best 45.34s.
McDonald's bronze is Jamaica's third at the Championships, as Ackeem Blake and Carey McLeod, also won bronze in the men's 60m and long jump respectively.
Alfred, who became Saint Lucia's first ever Olympic medallist, finished ahead of reigning world champion Sha'Carri Richardson with a time of 10.72 seconds to win gold.
She announced herself at the start of this Olympic year by winning world indoor 60m gold, also a first by an athlete from St Lucia.
The 23-year-old had previously won a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and improved steadily throughout the season and set a new personal best 10.78 in June.
Alfred will now prepare for the 200m in a bid to create more history for her nation, hoping to emulate Jamaica's Bolt, who won eight gold medals at three different Games.
"Usain Bolt won so many medals, I went back this morning and watched his races," said Alfred. I'm not going to lie, it was all Usain Bolt's races this morning."
Melissa Jefferson claimed the final podium place, with Great Britain's Daryll Neita finishing four-hundredths of a second behind, the best finish by a British female athlete in an Olympic sprint final for 64 years.
"I'm finding it hard to find words at the minute, literally speechless, so close to the medal, so close," Neita told BBC Sport.
"I'm healthy and I have the 200m to contest. I was so close to that medal and I really want that medal but fourth in the Olympics is something to be proud of."
Fellow compatriots Dina Asher-Smith and Imani-Lara Lansiquot failed to reach the final, with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrawing from the competition before her semi-final.
Asher-Smith finished fifth in her semi-final in 11.10 and Lansiquot missed out after running 11.21.
"I'm just disappointed because I'm in great shape and have been in great shape all season. I fully expected to make that final, the race wasn't even fast," Asher-Smith told BBC Sport.
"I know I'm in a lot better shape than that. I just go on to the 200m, but again I'm fully disappointed. I should have made that."
Texas’ Alfred, who set a then-meet record of 7.03 in the heats on Friday, became the first woman in NCAA history to break the 7-second barrier by speeding to 6.97 to win Saturday’s final ahead of Texas Tech junior Rosemary Chukwuma (7.17) and Alfred’s Texas teammate Ezinne Abba (7.17). Alfred’s time.
The St. Lucian senior now owns the six fastest 60m times in NCAA history and 6.97 puts the 21-year-old in a three-way tie for eighth on the all-time list alongside the Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure and the USVI’s Laverne Jones-Ferrette.
It also puts her second in the world in 2023 behind American Aleia Hobbs’ 6.94 at the US Indoor Championships in New Mexico on February 18.
Elsewhere, Jamaican Texas Tech senior Demisha Roswell produced a time of 8.04 to defend her 60m hurdles title. Kansas’ Gabrielle Gibson ran 8.11 for second while Iowa State’s Katarina Vlahovic ran 8.25 for third.
The St. Lucian dominated the sprints all year. It started during the indoor season when she entered the year with the 60m collegiate record, only to break her own record six times en route to the NCAA title. Alfred also added a collegiate record during the indoor 200 meters during an NCAA-title winning race, scoring 20 points to lead Texas to a second-place team finish.
During the outdoor season, the fireworks continued as the reigning Commonwealth Games silver medalist kicked off her season with three collegiate records in the relays as the leadoff runner in the 4x100, 4x200 and sprint medley relays. It wouldn't be the last time Alfred set a collegiate record in the relays, ultimately setting the standing record in the DI championship semifinals.
She might've set more collegiate records in the outdoor 100 and 200 meters at the DI championships too if not for a windy day during the finals.
Nonetheless, Alfred ran the fastest all-conditions times in NCAA history to win the outdoor 100 and 200m crowns. Alfred scored 22.5 total points at the DI championships to lead Texas to the team title on its home track, the first for the Longhorns in 18 years.
She becomes the fourth female Longhorn to be named a Bowerman finalist, hoping to become the second Longhorn to take home the award after Courtney Okolo did so in 2016.
The winner will be announced at the USTFCCCA Convention in Denver on December 14.
Alfred, who hails from Castries, St. Lucia, capped a record-breaking, undefeated season at the 2023 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where she won the 100, 200 and led off the winning 4×100 relay.
Her wind-aided mark in the 100-meter final of 10.72 equaled the fastest all-conditions effort in collegiate history, while her wind-aided mark in the 200 of 21.73 is the fastest all-conditions time in collegiate history.
Alfred ran the opening leg of a Texas 4×100 relay that obliterated the collegiate record twice this season, ultimately to 41.55 in Austin.
Jaydon Hibbert was named the Men’s co-National Field Athlete of the Year alongside NCAA Decathlon champion, Leo Neugebauer of Texas.
Hibbert, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, capped an undefeated season in the triple jump with a victory at the 2023 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He bounded 17.56m to record the fourth-farthest mark in collegiate history.
That was his second-best effort of the season, because earlier at the SEC Outdoor Championships, he shattered the collegiate record – and set an all-time World U20 outdoor best – with his majestic 17.87m PR.
Saturday's race was shorn of a global superstar when Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the five-time world and two-time Olympic 100m champion, withdrew.
Yet Alfred delivered the star power at the Stade de France with a fantastic effort, as she cruised to victory in 10.72 seconds.
In the process, the 23-year-old claimed the first Olympic medal for Saint Lucia.
Alfred finished ahead of Sha'Carri Richardson, the reigning world champion.
Melissa Jefferson, Richardson's American compatriot, crossed in third, ahead of Great Britain's Daryll Neita.
She established a new personal best and St. Lucian national record 21.86 in finishing second behind American Gabby Thomas who ran a meet record 21.82 to win.
After narrowly missing out on medals in both the 100m and 200m at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, the 23-year-old looks set to leave Paris with at least one medal based on her excellent form this season.
In an interview with Trackstaa after her race in London, Alfred spoke about what it means to represent her country on the world stage.
“I feel honoured to be an ambassador for my tiny island every day I step on the track,” Alfred said.
“We’re small but we’re mighty and we have amazing talent in St. Lucia just waiting to come out,” added the former University of Texas standout.
The 2023 Bowerman Award winner went undefeated indoors at the beginning of the year, culminating in her first World Indoor Championship 60m title in Glasgow in March, before switching her focus outdoors in the build up to the Olympics.
In four 100m races this season, Alfred has produced times of 11.15 at the Texas Invitational on April 27, 10.93 at the Prefontaine Classic on May 25, a personal best 10.78 at the Racers Grand Prix on June 1 and 10.85 at the Monaco Diamond League on July 12, the last two races resulting in wins.
In her two 200m races before Saturday, she ran 22.58 at the Mt. Sac Relays on April 20 and 22.16 at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial on July 9.
Alfred, who currently lives and trains in Texas, plans to return home to St. Lucia at the end of her season.
“Oh Definitely. I haven’t been home to actually relax. It’s always been a quick in and out, especially this year in April, so I’ll get a chance to just go home, get back to my roots and go have fun and be with my people. That’s all I want,” she said.
“I miss the food, the people and the environment. Just being around family, being on the beach. It’s an absolutely amazing place,” she added.
The 2023 Bowerman Award winner first produced 22.58 to win the 200m ahead of training partners Rhasidat Adeleke (22.61) and 2019 World champion Dina Asher-Smith (22.80).
Alfred then returned to team up with Adeleke, Asher-Smith and Lanae Tava-Thomas and win the women’s elite 4x100m relay in 42.03 ahead of Formula Kersee (Keni Harrison, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jenna Prandini, Morolake Akinosun) who ran 42.93 and the Ivory Coast who ran 43.17.
In the field, Jamaican Ralford Mullings threw 64.43m to win the men’s discus ahead of Turner Washington (63.64m) and Jordan Roach (61.45m).
Alfred, the Texas Longhorn senior who ran a NCAA record 22.01, the second fastest time ever indoors to win the NCAA Indoor Nationals last month, also established a new national record in the event that was contested over two heats.
Lenae Thomas also of Texas was second overall in a wind-aided 22.30 (+3.1m/s) that won the second heat.
MacKenzie Long of Ole Miss, second in Alfred’s heat, was third overall in 22.31. Kevona Davis, who was third in Alfred’s heat ran 22.47 for fifth overall.
In the Women Olympic Development 200m, World Championship 100m bronze medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah, running her first 200m of the season, finished in second place in her heat in 23.23, a time good enough for second overall.
Melissa Jefferson of the USA, who won Thompson-Herah’s heat, was the fastest with a time of 23.02.
The 22-year-old St. Lucian standout, fresh off a dominant 2023 collegiate season for the Texas Longhorns that saw her claim the Bowerman award, has started the 2024 indoor season brilliantly.
Alfred, a 100m silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, opened her season with a pair of wins at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque from February 2-3.
She first won the 200m on February 2 with a world leading 22.16, the fifth fastest indoor 200m time ever. Alfred also has the second fastest time ever with 22.01 done during her dominant 2023 season at Texas.
A day later, she won her heat of the 60m in 7.15 before returning to run 7.04 to win the final, a world-lead at the time.
At the Millrose Games on February 11, Alfred became the first woman to dip below the 7-second mark this season with a world-leading 6.99 for a dominant victory.
“I feel very pleased. I feel like I could’ve executed better but overall, I feel good. My body feels good and mentally I’m there,” Alfred said in a post-race interview.
She says that despite some difficulty having to adjust to a new routine, her transition from the collegiate ranks to the pro ranks has been smooth.
“Training has been really good. The fall was a bit difficult for me adjusting to having no school and no routine but I’m getting used to it now. I did take some time off and it was really needed so the transition has been really smooth,” she said.
Alfred is also joint-second on the all-time list in the 60m with 6.94, also done in 2023, and, after her performance on Sunday, feels like she is ready to challenge Irina Privalova’s world record 6.92 done all the way back in 1993.
“I feel really good about the performance to be honest and I really felt like I was ready to go after the world record but I’m just going to go out there and keep training and see what I can do at World Indoors,” she said.
The World Indoor Championships are set for March 1-3 in Glasgow and Alfred says that, despite some obvious goals for the upcoming outdoor season, this is all she is focused on right now.
“I’m just thinking about World Indoors and not down the line. When the time comes for that I’ll think about it but for now I’m taking it one race at a time,” she said.
When the time does come to move her focus to the Paris Olympics, Alfred says her goal is to be St. Lucia’s first ever Olympic medallist.
“I don’t have a time in mind at all but I definitely want to medal in Paris. That’s my biggest goal as of now. I’d be happy just to get a medal for my country because my country has never gotten a medal at the Olympics so I would love to be the first,” she said.
The 22-year-old, who sits second on the world short track all-time list with the 22.01 she ran to win last year’s NCAA title, held off her training partner Rhasidat Adeleke who clocked 22.49. That was a second Irish record of the day for Adeleke, who had earlier improved her own 60m mark to 7.15 when winning the invitational race. She now sits second on the season top list behind Aleia Hobbs with 7.11.
Alfred, who is also the second-fastest woman of all-time over 60m, will race that shorter sprint at the Millrose Games – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting – in New York, where her competition will include Britain’s 2019 world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith.
Asher-Smith was also in action in Albuquerque on Saturday and she won the 300m in a national best of 36.77.
The time also a meet and facility record and further establishes Alfred position as being among the best of the world’s elite women sprinters. She is the first woman under seven seconds this indoor season after breaking the hallowed barrier three times last season during her final NCAA season.
There was daylight between Alfred and the in-form Shashalee Forbes of Jamaica, who was the runner-up in 7.14.
Destiny Smith-Barnett of the USA finished third in 7.16 while Briana Williams was fourth in 7.25.
Meanwhile, Christian Coleman of the USA won the men’s equivalent in 6.51 just managing to hold off Hakim Sani-Brown of Japan (6.54) and Akeem Blake of Jamaica, who overcame a poor start to finish third in 6.55.
Ryiem Forde of Jamaica was fourth in a personal best of 6.60.
