When the starting gun went off in Paris, Julien Alfred knew this was her moment to shine—and indeed, she did! While all eyes were on Sha’Carri Richardson, expecting her to claim gold, Alfred had other plans. She took the track by storm, finishing in 10.72 seconds to secure the gold and make history as the first athlete from St. Lucia to do so. Alfred did not just defeat Sha’Carri, but did that dominantly, right from the beginning.

A look through the reaction times will tell the story. In an hour when it mattered the most, Sha’Carri managed a reaction time of 0.221 against Alfred’s 0.144. It seemed that the entirety of the race was just the capitalization of that gap. Alfred, last year’s NCAA champion, took an early lead that she never lost. During the first 30 meters of the race, which is the acceleration phase, she started to become untouchable. Sha’Carri needed to be much closer at this stage to throw a challenge to Alfred.

Female sprinters generally reach the top speed halfway through the race, and at that point, no one was even close to Alfred. Her top speed was 25.50mph against Sha’Carri’s 25.18mph. The American was no match for Alfred. In fact, no one was. The gold medal was pretty much decided, the fight was going on for the silver and the bronze medals. Alfred had later said that about 20 meters to go, she knew she already had it because she could not see anyone around her.

By beating Richardson in the process, Alfred quickly became the talk of the town. But she wasn’t content with just one victory—she also grabbed a silver in the 200m, proving she’s no flash in the pan. Now, with both Alfred and Richardson at the top of their game, are they each other’s fiercest rivals? Of course on the tracks, but…

While fans might see the on-track rivalry between Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson as a fierce battle, off the track, the reality is different. Alfred points out that, despite the intense competition, there’s a lot of mutual respect between them. “what people see on the track, such as us being rivals, outside of the track, people can be very nice as well,” Julien alfred said, Speaking to Sky’s Jacquie Beltrao. So their relationship goes beyond just racing; there’s a deeper connection that’s often overlooked.

After Alfred’s dominant win in Paris, the competition between the two picked up again at the Zurich Diamond League, where Richardson narrowly edged her out with a strong finish in the final 40 meters, clocking 10.84 seconds. Alfred, who had a strong start, ultimately settled for second place with a time of 10.88 seconds. This back-and-forth between them did not even end there.

At the Diamond League final in Brussels Alfred took it away from Sha’Carri to win her first Diamond trophy with a time of 10.88 seconds. Meanwhile, Sha’Carri could only manage a distant eighth place in the race. Indeed, the rivalry is shaping up steadily which could keep track fans on the edge of their seats for a long time. But as Alfred makes clear, the rivalry is strictly on the track—it’s all part of the game and doesn’t spill over into their personal lives.

Away, from the competition scene; the two seem to get along well. Alfred mentioned that she makes it a point to greet her fellow competitors and even engage with them online. “Whenever I see my competitors, I do say hi to them,” she explains. “On Instagram, if somebody posts a picture, I’ll respond to them—same vice versa. Um, we’ll have a quick chat in our DMs as well. Sha’Carri, she’s a very sweet person to me, and so I don’t have any issues with her.”

With this budding rivalry, it seems that a new era is emerging in women’s sprinting landscape, ruled by an entirely fresh set of stars. For that final night in Paris, the top three finishers were all born in 2000 or later, and there was only one Jamaican in the race – Tia Clayton, also born in 2000.

See who all were absent from the start line? Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, two veterans who between them took the previous four titles, nor Shericka Jackson, the world silver medallist, citing an injury. Contrast the scenario with Pre-Paris. It was all mostly Sha’Carri vs. the Jamaicans. But as all the Jamaican legends pulled out of the race, the next generation ruled. Not only Alfred or Sha’Carri, 23-year-old Olympic bronze medallist Melissa Jefferson, 20-year-old Clayton, and 25-year-old TeeTee Terry are also part of that era.

Jackson and Thompson-Herah might return, but remember, they all are in their 30s. If you look long-term, LA2028 looks to be set to see this new group reign the picture, and Paris definitely initiated that change of guard. Alfred is leading the pack till now. But she has made it clear that her focus wasn’t on seeking vengeance against Sha’Carri Richardson, but rather on the pursuit of her own goals and objectives.

Julien Alfred overcame tragedy to dominate the track

Just before the Brussels Diamond League, Julien Alfred talked about her season and what led to her victory. She shared details about her training year, childhood, and mentors. “When I was 14, I moved from Saint Lucia to Jamaica,” she said. “I left my mum and siblings behind. My dad died when I was 12. My mum had put a note in my suitcase that read ‘follow your dream.” The obstacle was not only personal.

Alfred was plagued by a lack of proper training facilities in her country. After the Olympic win, she had hoped that this achievement might make her countrymen think of improving the training scenario. But she had idols to look up to.

Julien mentioned that she has a liking for Usain Bolt, saying: “I’ve always wanted to be Usain Bolt, ever since I was little. He was more than my idol. It’s incredible what he has achieved in his career.” And for one other major source of inspiration? Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. She had her own self for motivation as well.

“One of the things I wrote down is ‘Julien Alfred Olympic Champion’. Just manifesting, knowing how hard I have worked for this moment. Also, I wrote that ‘the world will know my name, I am unstoppable, it’s my race, my coach has prepared me for it, have fun’. There were so many different things that I wrote down, but just realizing that I had a great chance of winning and also believing in myself before going to the finals that I was already the Olympic champion,” Alfred had said to BBC’s Woman’s Hour.

However, Alfred also recalled her race mentality with Sha’Carri Richardson in Zurich. And it was never about revenge. In her own words, “I don’t want to use the word revenge. I never run against anyone, I do it for myself and just want to finish the season in style. For the same reason, I’m not focused on times either.” This race was all about victory and improvement, as she desired to finish the season in the best way possible. And she indeed did that, setting the tone for the track and field in the years to come.