Julien Alfred, the reigning Olympic 100m champion, shared insights into her victory over Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m and her loss to Gabby Thomas in the 200m at the Paris Olympics. Alfred revealed that during the semifinals, seeing both Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the line-up caused her to panic, and she briefly doubted her chances of making it to the final. Although Fraser-Pryce did not compete, the pressure remained due to Richardson’s presence. Despite this, Alfred’s strategy remained unchanged as she aimed to finish strong. Slowing down with about 5 meters to go, she still managed to beat Richardson, which gave her a confidence boost heading into the final, where she ultimately claimed the gold.
Reflecting on the 200m, Alfred admitted that her attitude and fatigue played a role in her defeat. She felt exhausted from competing in multiple 100m rounds, and this impacted her performance in the 200m final. Alfred confessed to overthinking the race and being mentally fatigued, which led to her not approaching it with the same intensity as the 100m. She plans to address these issues in future competitions, acknowledging that she should have simply run her race without overanalyzing it.
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