New Mexico

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.

Alfred, 18, a sophomore at the University of Texas blazed to a fast 23.50 to win the 200m on Friday beating the likes of US collegiate star Twanisha Terry (23.55) and Nike athlete Teahna Daniels (23.97) in Section 1 of the 200m.

However, she was only just warming up.

On Saturday, in the preliminaries of the Women’s 60m dash, Alfred, who opened her indoor season with 7.18s in December 2019, clocked 7.13 to be the fastest into the finals. The time was a new personal best and St. Lucian national record.

She would go even faster in the finals, clocking 7.10 breaking her own PB and national record.  The time was also the seventh fastest performer in collegiate history and the fastest time ever recorded by a collegian in the month of January.

However, the time was only good enough for second as she was edged by Mikiah Brisco, who broke the tape in 7.08s.

Terry finished third in 7.15.