Saint Lucian female ace sprinter – Julien Alfred has again set the tracks ablaze with record-breaking performances in the US track and field college circuit alongside her team-mate Rhasidat Adeleke.
The two Texas Longhorns sprinters ran the world’s fastest times in their respective events this women’s indoor track season at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational last Saturday, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
According to Knax Sports, Alfred, a graduate student from St. Lucia and defending NCAA 100-meter dash champion, ran the world’s best race this season in the 60-meter dash with a blazing time of 7.02 seconds, equalling her personal best she set at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. She made her season debut at the distance with a time of 7.05 in the preliminary round.
Alfred has three of the top-four 60-meter times in NCAA history and all of the top-five fastest times in school history. She currently holds the title for the three fastest sprints in the 60-metre dash, held by a female in NCAA history; at 7.02secs, 7.04 secs, and 7.05secs respectively.
Adeleke, a junior from Dublin, Ireland, captured the win in the 200-meter dash with a world-leading time of 22.52 seconds. She beat her previous indoor personal best of 22.85 and set a new Ireland national record in the process. The time gives her the No. 3 spot in school history behind Bianca Knight and Sanya Richards-Ross.
Alfred finished second in the 200 with a time of 22.71, and Adeleke finished second in the 60 with a time of 7.20.
Alfred was named to the pre-season watch list for the Bowerman Award, given to the most outstanding men’s and women’s NCAA track athletes. The award is presented by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Sports pundits view last Saturday’s victory as a continuous and impressive triumph in her opening season events. Julien won her season opener in the 300-metre dash at the Commonwealth College Opener, in a time of 36.36; and then went on to win the 200-metres at the Cardinal Classic with a time of 23.10; and helped Texas run the thirteenth fastest 4×4100 time in UT history with a time of 30:30:55.