Julien Alfred to face Gabby Thomas, Adaejah Hodge in Monaco Diamond League 200m today

Saint Lucia: The Olympic Champion and Tourism Ambassador of Saint Lucia Julien Alfred is all set to compete in the women’s 200m race at the Meeting Herculis which is part of the Monaco Diamond League, on Friday, July 10. She will be competing against Olympic champion Gabby Thomas and world leader Adaejah Hodge.

According to the information, the race will take place at the Stade Louis II and is scheduled to begin at 3:19 pm St. Lucia time.

Alfred will compete against Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas of the United States and British Virgin Islands sprinter Adaejah Hodge. Hodge also holds the fastest 200m time in the world this season with 21.68 seconds.

The race will feature three of the fastest women over 200m this season. Thomas and Alfred had previously faced each other four times in the event, with Thomas holding a 3-1 advantage.

Alfred has beaten Thomas only once in the 200m at the Monaco Diamond League in 2023. They recently competed at the Paris Olympics where Thomas won gold in 21.83 seconds while Alfred claimed the silver medal in 22.08 seconds.

Before competing in the race against Gabby Thomas for the fifth time, the Saint Lucia star said that she has prepared both physically and mentally across the past few weeks.

The 25-year-old said that she is looking forward to returning to Monaco after taking a four week break from competition.

”I'm really excited to go out here and just see where I'm at after resting for the past four weeks. Since turning pro, I've been here multiple times. I ran my first Diamond League here, so I'm just really excited to race again," she said.

She said that she is in great shape physically and mentally and is excited to race.

Alfred aims to run under 22 seconds in Monaco. This will be her fourth appearance in Monaco. She finished second in the 200m in her first professional race there in 2023 and has also won the 100m at the Monaco Diamond League in each of the last two years.

Alfred also confirmed that she will not compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She said, “I won't be competing in the Commonwealth Games. It just doesn't work with my schedule as of now.”

She said that she wants to focus on the Diamond League Finals and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships.

"There's not much I can say about Ultimate Championships. I just try to look at major championships as just another race to just not psych myself out. But I'm really excited to go out there and compete to my fullest abilities."

The St. Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) wished success to Alfred and also encouraged the nation to support the Olympic champion as she returns to competition in Monaco.