Julien Alfred is finally back where she belongs—and fans couldn’t be more pumped. After months of grinding it out in the 300m and 400m, she’s stepping back into the 200m, her real playground. It’s been a season of shake-ups so far, with her coach Edrick Floreal pushing her into longer sprints to build that strength and stamina.
Julien didn’t love it—she even said, “Even though it hurts a lot, I trust him and what he has for me.” Still, she stuck with it, and let’s just say, it’s been working.
She’s been straight-up cooking over those longer distances. First, she set a national record in the 300m with a blazing 36.16 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Then came a 52.97 in the 400m at the Tiger Paw Invitational—another national record for St. Lucia. And if that wasn’t enough, she dropped a ridiculous 49.8-second split in the 4x400m at the Texas Relays. Just days later? She shocked the track world by taking down Shericka Jackson in the 300m at the Miramar Invitational, winning in 36.05.
Now she’s back to the 200m—and the hype is real. Julien Alfred is opening her season at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational, and the lineup is stacked. She’ll be toeing the line with heavy hitters like Rhasidat Adeleke, Favour Ofili, Tamari Davis, and Daryll Neita. With that kind of competition, this isn’t just a comeback—it’s a showdown. And fans are counting down the seconds.
Women’s 200m entries – Tom Jones Memorial
Julien Alfred
Favour Ofili
Rhasidat Adeleke
Tamari Davis
Daryll Neita
Nickisha Pryce
Alana Reid
Niesha Burgher
Stacey Ann Williams
Thelma Davies
Maia McCoy
Amy Hunt
Anna Hall
– April 18th
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) April 16, 2025
Even Athlos, the sports platform started by Alexis Ohanian, couldn’t help but chime in when Track and Field Gazette dropped the news on X. They posted, “Real excited to see Julien’s 200m opener, especially after all the 400’s and 300’s she’s run so far this season!” That pretty much sums up the mood right now. After months of grinding through events that felt a bit out of her comfort zone, Julien’s finally back in her element—and fans are absolutely loving it.
Fans are hyped for Julien Alfred’s 200m debut
One fan added, “Real excited to see Julien’s 200m opener, especially after all the 400s and 300s she’s run so far this season!” This year, Julien Alfred dedicated herself to intense, longer sprint training, which brought her exceptional success. During her Olympic summer victory, Julien Alfred won gold in the 100m with a spectacular time of 10.72 seconds. Then, she won a silver medal in the Olympics in the 200m. The track events are second nature to her. To strengthen her performance, Edrick Floreal decided to include 300m and 400m sprint workouts in her training sessions. And Julien? She was all in. The athlete emerged this season with remarkable success. Thanks to her training, she not only matched up with Shericka Jackson but also succeeded in defeating her. Like, really!
Another fan added, “Julien will be looking to leave her mark with how impressive she has been so far.” Julien Alfred is making her mark this season, and it’s clear why. While most sprinters tend to stick to their comfort zones—like the 60m, 100m, and 200m—Julien has taken a bold step by competing in the 300m and 400m events that aren’t usually her go-to. She goes beyond her comfort boundaries to establish dominance in every race. The 2025 Miramar Invitational became the stage for her dramatic win after defeating Shericka Jackson, who ruled both the 200m and 400m events.
The national record of 36.05 seconds in the 300m brought victory to Julien Alfred, while she beat Jackson by 0.08 seconds, and Jessika Gbai of Ivory Coast earned third place with a time of 36.24 seconds. This race was especially significant because Jackson, who missed the Paris 2024 Olympics due to an injury just before the event, was making her comeback to the track. Jackson led early, taking control out of the bend, but Julien surged forward to seal the victory in what was a seriously impressive performance.
One more fan added, “Let’s go Julien!!! Great lineup…best to all the Ladies!!” Another fan jumped in with, “Looks like a hot race if no one pulls out.” And then, there’s always the fan who’s confident, saying, “Can’t wait for this, everyone looks stacked but Julien has to be the favorite.” Seriously, this lineup is crazy with athletes like Favour Ofili, the Nigerian sprinter who’s been all over the 200m scene; Rhasidat Adeleke, who’s got that NCAA championship vibe and some serious speed; Tamari Davis, that up-and-coming U.S. sprinter with the legs of lightning; and Daryll Neita, the British sprinter who’s been making waves worldwide.
Don’t forget about Jamaica’s strong presence, with Nickisha Pryce, Alana Reid, Niesha Burgher, and Stacey Ann Williams. Plus, you’ve got Thelma Davies and Maia McCoy from Liberia, and Amy Hunt and Anna Hall from the U.S. And let’s talk about Julien Alfred for a sec. After crushing it this season, she’s been setting records, breaking barriers, and with the way she’s been running, it’s like she’s just getting started. So yeah, there are a lot of heavy hitters in this race, but Julien Alfred’s got the fire right now. It’s gonna be epic to see how it all shakes out!
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