Julien Alfred Breaks London Diamond League Record with 200m Victory

Saint Lucia: Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred continued her dominant 2026 season with another victory in the women's 200m at the London Diamond League on Saturday, July 18 clocking at 21.66 seconds to hold off a strong international field.

Alfred, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion in the 100m and silver medallist in the half lap, maintained her purple patch of form in the race on Saturday as she ran 21.66 seconds, with the faintest of winds, just 0.1 metres per second, to break her own meet record of 21.71 from last year.

She edged Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas of the United States by just 0.15 seconds, with Thomas crossing in 21.81, 400m specialist and Bahamian Miller-Uibo produced 22.24 for third, and former World champion Dina Asher-Smith clocked at 22.28 in fourth.

This win came a week after Alfred set the meeting record in Monaco with a time of 21.51, the fastest in the world this year. She was defending the London title when she won last year in 21.71.

During an interview after the race, “I am happy I won one (a race) again. I am healthy, so I couldn’t be happier. Right now, I am in a good place mentally and physically.”

“I’m not going to lie, I didn’t want to run today, but my coach was like, ‘It is our last race for a while, we can go home and get to Saint Lucia, too’. I am here, I did it and I won, so I am very happy with how it went today," she said post-race.

The London leg formed the 11th stop of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season, which began in Shanghai in May and will conclude with the two-day series final in Brussels in September.

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority marked the win on social media, celebrating Alfred as the island's "golden girl" and crediting her performance to her dedication and determination on the international stage.

“Another Diamond League victory for Saint Lucia's golden girl!

Julien Alfred continues her incredible season, storming to victory in the women's 200m at the London Diamond League with a sensational 21.66 seconds, setting a new meeting record!

Building on her outstanding recent form, Julien has once again shown why she's one of the world's best, proudly flying the Saint Lucian flag on the international stage.

Congratulations, Julien! Your dedication, determination, and excellence continue to inspire an entire nation,” the post read.

Julien Alfred was in complete control at London Stadium, a week after clocking 21.51 to win in Monaco. That run made her the third-fastest woman in history over the distance, and the fastest in almost 40 years. It was her third race in seven days. The win marked her seventh victory from seven races this season. It also levelled her all-time 200m head-to-head with Thomas at 3-3.