JULIEN ALFRED LOWERS NATIONAL RECORD TO WIN ZURICH DL

St Lucia’s darling of the track Julien Alfred produced a sensational national record run to win the 100 meters at Zurich’s diamond league meet on Thursday (August 27) clocking 10-point-70 seconds. The Olympic champion erased her previous national record of 10-point-72 seconds which ran to win gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

She beat America’s world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edging her out by five-thousandths of a second in a close finish both credited with 10-point-70 seconds. Alfred turned the tables on Jefferson-Wooden who won the Silesia leg of the diamond league a few days earlier on Sunday (23 August), running 10-point-78 to Alfred’s 10-point-83 ending the St Lucian unbeaten start to the season.

Sha’Carri Richardson finished a distant third in 10-point-97 seconds and Jamaica’s Tina Clayton fourth in 10-point-98 seconds.

This was American’s first 100m defeat in almost two years, before this loss in Zurich, Jefferson-Wooden had been enjoying a dominant reign over the 100 meters. Her long-standing win streak in the 100m event extended back to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the last time she lost finishing third behind winner Julien Alfred. Jefferson-Wooden went on to win the 100 meters world championship in 10-point-61 championship record beating Alfred into third in what was a dominant 2025.

Julien Alfred, the Olympic champion and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the world champion, will now take their rivalry to the eagerly anticipated diamond final in Brussels, scheduled for September 4-5.