About a year ago, Justin Gatlin said, “I think right now, she (Julien Alfred) does have the biggest upswing in this situation because she’s a true dual threat too.” Fast forward to today, and Julien Alfred is out here proving him right in the best way possible. She took home the 100-meter gold at Paris 2024, beating Sha’Carri Richardson to second place. She even took silver in the 200 m behind Gabby Thomas.

It seems Gatlin wasn’t wrong when he said her skills in both events made her a real threat. But just when it seemed like rivals had her number 2025 rolled around. And in a surprising turn of events, Alfred took everything by storm. The Saint Lucian speedster decided to start her season with a shocker. 300 m, yes, you heard that right. At the NB Indoor Grand Prix on 3rd Feb, instead of her patented 60, 100, or 200m, Alfred decided to take it one step further.

But here’s the twist: she slayed it, finishing in 36.16 seconds. This not only set a new national record but also made it the 15th fastest time in history. Oh, in doing so, she beat her training partner, Dina Asher-Smith, who ran a personal best of 36.87 seconds. So, naturally, people are starting to wonder—what does this mean for the 100m and 200m? Could Julien Alfred be coming for Gabby Thomas and Shericka Jackson’s crown? Well, buckle up because this performance is raising a lot of eyebrows. Let’s dive into why this might just be a game-changer!

Can the 400m boost Julien Alfred’s 200m? Here’s the strategy!

Three months ago, Ato Boldon, NBC Sports broadcaster and former track star, revealed that he had spoken with Julien Alfred’s coach, Edrick Floreal. According to Ato, Floreal mentioned that Julien would be running a few more 400-meter races in the 2025 season to prepare for the World Championships later in September.

It looks like she’s gearing up to take on even more distance, and, honestly, with the way she’s been crushing records, the competition better watch out, but at the same time she’s going to hone in on her speed, endurance, overall strength, and consistency across the board—way more than we saw in 2024. Recently, the Final Track & Field channel on YouTube, with 26.7K subs, released an insightful analysis.

It was simply titled “Shericka Jackson and Gabby Thomas May Have a Problem in the 200m This Year… It’s Julien Alfred.” The analyst presented the topic clearly and engagingly, providing facts and insights that made the argument feel both accurate and convincing. It started with Julien’s comparison with legends.

Well, we know, Julien Alfred boasts impressive personal race records that include a 100-meter event at 10.72 seconds and a 200-meter event at 21.86 seconds together with a 60-meter event at 6.94 seconds, a 300-meter event at 36.16 seconds and a 400-meter event at 58.29 seconds. But for Julien to defeat Thomas and Shericka, particularly in the 200-meter race, she needs to establish herself at a higher level.

The current personal records achieved by Gabby extend to 10.80 seconds in the 100 meters, 21.60 seconds in the 200 meters, 35.73 seconds in the 300 meters, and 49.68 seconds in the 400 meters. The 200m presents a challenge for Julien because she trails Gabby by 0.26 seconds, which she needs to reduce for proper competition. However, Shericka Jackson stands as an additional intriguing case. 

Shericka Jackson holds the following personal records: 10.65 seconds in 100m running and 21.41 seconds in 200m running. Gabby Thomas remains 0.19 seconds behind Shericka Jackson in the 200m events. Between Shericka and Julien, there exists a time difference of 0.45 seconds. But the real issue is Jackson’s 400m at 49.47.

Julien needs to swing into action because the 200m remains the easiest to conquer. While it still gravely falls short of Flo Jo’s legendary 21.34, among current competitors there’s still hope. Shericka Jackson maintains position two while Gabby arrives fourth and Julien takes 27th place. The truth remains that Julien needs to put in lots of effort toward achieving his goals.

But while Julien Alfred remains adept at both the 100m and 200m, speed and endurance remain her biggest hurdles. But while the 200 m is looking close, the 400 m still needs some major investment. The explosiveness of 200 m won’t translate into 400 m, as it is ruled more by endurance. But one cannot compromise on their speed either. So 400 m will be a unique challenge consisting of both endurance and speed.

This training period of running 400 m enables Julien to develop body capabilities for sustained elevated intensity that strengthens both endurance and power. At the significant second turn in the 200m race, she will possess stronger speed retention abilities, which will prevent her performance from declining while the race continues. The 400-meter distance develops Julien’s total body strength so she can enhance both her 200-meter form and power performance. But is it compulsory for Alfred to do 400m?

The secret sauce behind Julien’s success

The last time Julien Alfred participated in the 400m event was in 2017, achieving a result of 58.29 seconds. The competition potential indicates Julien Alfred needs to enhance her performance. Taking into account specialist sprinters Shericka Jackson and Gabby Thomas, who display impressive 49-52 second split times nonetheless.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (54.93) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (55.88) earn fame from their 100m and 200m success but their 400m results stay between 54-55 seconds. Now, Julien is running the 400m in the 57-59 second range, which shows she’s got some serious leg strength. But after her recent 300-meter victory, she kept it pretty chill when asked about it. “It was something, lol,” she laughed.

“But in all honesty, my coach and I have been working really hard. We’re focusing on strength and speed endurance.” She’s been working with Coach Floreal since 2019, and it’s clear their partnership has paid off. Julien’s always quick to give credit to Floreal, calling him her “spine and rock,” and it’s easy to see how that trust and teamwork have contributed to her growth as an athlete.

If she continues to push the 400m in 2025, that strength could translate into a big improvement in her 200m, especially when it comes to powering through that final stretch. Watch out, world!