Julien Alfred wins silver in women’s 100m at World Athletics Ultimate Championships

Saint Lucia: Julien Alfred secured the silver medal in the women’s 100m event at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships debut in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.

She finished the race in a record time of 10.74 seconds and came second in the competition, after American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden clinched gold with a world leading time of 10.62 seconds. The bronze medal went to the American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson in 10.76 seconds.

The result added another achievement to Alfred's growing international record. The Saint Lucian sprinter entered the race as the 2024 Olympic 100m gold medalist and as one of the leading contenders for the inaugural Ultimate Championship title.

The Budapest final brought together three of the sport’s most prominent stars. Jefferson-Wooden, a world champion, put up a strong performance to win the race, while Alfred made a late charge to clinch second spot. World Athletics described Alfred as the fast-finishing runner in the race.

This meeting followed the outcome of a race between Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden in Zurich. Both the athletes had the exact timing of 10.70 in that event, with Alfred winning by just 0.005 seconds.

In response to suggestions of not having any chance of winning the 200m after the Budapest final, Alfred said, “If I put my mind to it, I can do it.”

Saint Lucia Athletics Association also lauded her performance in the recent race. Sharing a post on Facebook, the association stated, “Once again, Julien stood among the very best in the world and represented Saint Lucia with strength, confidence, determination and class.

Julien, thank you for continuing to carry our flag with such pride and distinction.”

World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new season-ending competition that features the world’s best athletes participating in 28 events. It is taking place from September 11 to September 13 at the National Athletics Centre of Budapest. The championship has a US$10 million prize pool, with individual event winners receiving $150,000.