Tiger Paw Invitational: Julien Alfred sets new indoor national record with 400m victory

Olympic gold medallist and the Tourism Ambassador of Saint Lucia, Julien Alfred continues to add milestone as she recently became a new indoor national record champion at the Tiger Paw Invitational meet. The sprinter clocked a time of 52.97 seconds to win Heat 4 of the 400m event, setting a Saint Lucian record in the process. 

She was followed by Ramiah Elliott and Farah Nasir, who clocked the time of 53.95 second and 55.17 seconds respectively. The 2025 edition of Tiger Paw Invitational meet is an indoor track and field competition which was conducted from 14th to 15th February, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. 

With this remarkable victory, Alfred now holds the national records in the 60m, 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m. Her thrilling performance came just weeks after she set a new national record in the 300m race category, while competing at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. She clocked a time of 36.16 seconds, smashing her own national record and clocking the 15th fastest time. 

In just her second race of the season, two weeks ago, she smashed the 300m national record, and now she has done it again in the 400m race. Following the race, Julien Alfred expressed excitement and promised to continue to make efforts in order to bringing  laurels to her nation. 

She aimed at continuing to break records, aiming to enhance and elevate the sports sector of Saint Lucia to greater heights. Also, Alfred has also been challenged to run longer events by her coach Edrich Floreal. She added that her coach wants her to participate in such races, aiming to build her speed endurance in preparation for the outdoor season. 

Julien Alfred’s participation in 400m race 

The Olympic 100m winner Julien Alfred ran her first ever 400 m at Tiger Paw Invitational and won her race in 52.97 seconds. Alfred who participated in 400m for the first time split her 25.01 seconds at the halfway mark before closing in 27.97 seconds. Her time was matched by US Virgin Islands’ Michelle Smith, who won Heat 10, clocking the time of 52.97 seconds. Georgia’s Aaliyah Butler secured the fastest time of the meet, clocking a time of 50.85 seconds.