Saint Lucian Julien Alfred shines with silver at Prefontaine Classic, sets new national record

Sha'carri Richardson from the United States stood first in a time of 10.83 seconds, while UK's Dina Asher-Smith stood 3rd in a time of 10.98 seconds.

Monday, 27th May 2024

Saint Lucian Julien Alfred shines with silver at Prefontaine Classic, sets new national record (PC - Facebook)

Saint Lucia's sprint sensation, Julien Alfred, secured another medal as a pro athlete in the Prefontaine Classic. She secured silver in the women's 100m sprint, posting a season-best time of 10.93 seconds and setting a new national record. Sha'carri Richardson from the United States stood first in a time of 10.83 seconds, while UK's Dina Asher-Smith stood 3rd in a time of 10.98 seconds. Surprisingly, Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, the reigning Olympic champion, finished in 9th place with a time of 11.30s, signaling a challenging start to her season. After securing the 2nd position, the Saint Lucian sprinter said that she would take it when asked whether she was satisfied with the results. Alfred added, "I have to give God thanks nevertheless because I finished healthy. I did want to want the win, but I'll take second for now." She also noted that she kind of panicked a little at the end which is why she will be working on her ending now. Talking about her overall development as an athlete, Julien Alfred said that she thinks just her form overall, her strides are a lot wider than before and not as choppy, and at present, she is just focusing on execution before she would go out there and just compete. "But now it's just focusing on execution and just trying to do my best and prepare for the Olympics," added the athlete. Alfred emphasized that she will be preparing hard for the Olympics and will be working on the last part of her race and added, "I think it's always been a struggle of mine where I can't really stay upright the last part of my race, but it's just going back to the drawing board and trying to just stay upright." When asked whether she is satisfied with the way she has become a professional athlete, Alfred replied that she had her struggles, especially when it came to confidence which is why she is taking her time and trying to take one step at a time.