Julien Alfred sets national record with 10.70 victory at Zurich Diamond League

Saint Lucia: Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred ended Melissa Jefferson-Wooden's winning streak in women's 100m, clocking a national record of 10.70 seconds at the Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

Alfred clocked at 10.693 seconds, edging Jefferson-Wooden's 10.698, while both the sprinters were running into a 0.7 metres per second headwind at Letzigrund Stadium. The recent result has significantly improved Alfred's previous national record by 0.02 seconds.

The United States' Sha'Carri Richardson finished third, clocking at 10.97 seconds. Jamaica's Tina Clayton was fourth in 10.98 just ahead of Britain's Amy Hunt in fifth with 11.04.

This victory marked a fresh Saint Lucian national record and moved Alfred into the 10th place in the fastest women ever. She currently has 23 qualification points for the 100m in theDiamond League standings. However, Alfred earlier said that she will only run the 200m in Brussels next month.

We have a long way to go in Saint Lucia, but we are getting there. A national record puts Saint Lucia on the map, she added.

This win avenged for Alfred's loss to Jefferson-Wooden four days ago at the Silesia Diamond League on August 23, where Jefferson-Wooden won 10.78 to 10.83. Jefferson-Wooden had been unbeaten in the 100m since September 2024, a run that included her win over Alfred at Tokyo, a streak now ended in Zurich.

The Silesia Diamond League marked the first time they were facing each other for a race, after last year's final in Tokyo, where Jefferson-Wooden won with a record 10.61 seconds. In Tokyo, Alfred took bronze, clocking at 10.84 seconds.