Olympic champion Julien Alfred stuck another feather in her cap as she breezed through the 200m race at the Hankezovic Memorial in Zagreb on Saturday.
The Saint Lucian has made a brilliant start to the season leaving all in her wake thus far.
Alfred seemed to be comfortable from start to finish, even easing off before crossing the finish line, clocking a decent time of 22.15. Spain’s Jael Bestue came in second in 22.92 seconds while Hungarian Boglarka Takacs came in third in a time of 23.22. The St. Lucian sprint star was quick off the blocks and was sufficiently clear of the pack by the time she got to the turn. Alfred says she was expecting to run faster and highlighted the cold weather may have hampered a better finish. Nonetheless, staying healthy for this long season is critical, according to Alfred.
Many were of the opinion that the 23-year-old would have shattered the meet record of 22.04 which was set by Namibian sprinter Christine Mboma back in 2021.
Julien Alfred had recent successes in the 200m at last month’s Tom Jones Invitational and the 300m in Miramar, Florida. Julien Alfred then won the 400m at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.