Saint Lucia’s sprint queen, Julien Alfred, is making a powerful comeback and is determined to chase the 60-metre world record in February 2026, starting her season at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York City’s The Armory.
Currently ranked among the sprinting elite, Alfred holds the distinction of being the joint second-fastest woman ever over this distance, with a personal best of 6.94 seconds, which is just two hundredths of a second shy of Irina Privalova’s longstanding record.
Focusing on the Tokyo World Championships in 2025, Alfred did not compete in the 60 metres this past year. Her season ended with a withdrawal from Tokyo due to injury, but not before she secured bronze in the 100m event, having claimed Olympic gold in 2024.
In 2026, Alfred targets no major international outdoor championships, allowing her to fully concentrate on the 60m.
In a recent podcast, she asserted, “I love the 60m,” emphasizing her extensive experience with the event during her college years and her early professional career.
With renewed enthusiasm, she is eager to return to the track after successfully competing in the 300m and 400m indoors.
Currently training at her home in Saint Lucia, Alfred has set a clear and ambitious goal: to break Privalova’s record, which has stood for over 32 years.
At the Millrose Games, she will face formidable American competitors, including Aleia Hobbs, who clocked a time of 6.94 seconds, and defending Millrose 60m champion Jacious Sears. Also joining the competition is Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, her former training partner.
Alfred, who previously set the meet record of 6.99 seconds in 2024, is determined to add to her collection of impressive performances, with five times under 7 seconds, just behind Privalova’s 13.
During a recent interview, she revealed that she and her coach, Edrick Floréal, had rigorously analyzed the world record and her race patterns, laying the groundwork for her focused strategy moving forward.
As she enters her third year as a professional athlete, following an exceptional collegiate career at Texas, Alfred has been back in training since early November after promoting Saint Lucia as a tourism ambassador in England and Germany. She is fully committed to achieving her goals and is ready to make an impact in 2026.