Julien Alfred set for 100m showdown at World Athletics Ultimate Championship

Saint Lucia: Olympic champion Julian Alfred is set to compete in the women’s 100m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on September 12. It will start at 7:04 pm local time at the National Athletics Centre, with the final schedule for 8:38 pm.

Alfred entered the competition as one of the leading contenders after producing a joint world best of 10.70 seconds in Zurich on August 27. American World Champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden also timed 10.70 seconds in the same race, setting up another major clash in Budapest.

The Saint Lucian runner qualified herself for the championship by winning the Olympics 100m race at Parish in 2024. World Athletics listed her as one of the athletes who qualified automatically for the inaugural event.

It is designed to bring Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners, and the best athletes of the season into one competition.

Alfred has already experienced some success at Budapest this season. She won the 100m women at the Gyulai István Memorial held in July where her time was 10.87 seconds. She defeated Jamaica’s Tina Clayton and Brianna Lyston.

Her challenge in the Ultimate Championships will be strong. Jefferson-Wooden leads the field alongside Alfred, while Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States, Amy Hunt from Britain, and Zaynab Dosso from Italy are among other strong competitors.

The format for the race in Budapest is going to be different from any other global championship. The 100m race will move straight to semi-finals with eight competitors participating with just four qualifying for the finals. There will be no preliminary heats.

The Ultimate Championship is scheduled from September 11 to September 13 with 28 events including some of the biggest stars of the sport. It carries a record US$10 million prize pool, with each individual champion set to receive US$150,000.