GLASGOW, Scotland, CMC—Newly Crowned World Indoors sprint champion St Lucian Julien Alfred believes her disappointment at last year’s World Championships in Budapest helped lay the groundwork for her success here Saturday.
The 22-year-old captured her first global title when she won the women’s 60-meter sprint final in a world-leading 6.98 seconds at the World Indoor Championships.
Fresh off the NCAA circuit last year, Alfred flirted with a medal in Budapest, finishing fourth in the 200 meters and fifth in the 100 meters after impressive displays in the qualifying rounds.
“Losing last season at the World Championships and coming that close to a medal in both the 100m and the 200m gave me a boost,” said Alfred.
“I was starving coming into this season.”
She continued: “My coach came from Austin, [Texas] to be with me here, so I wanted to make him proud.
“I’m just going to keep hungry, train hard, and keep chasing what I want. I’ll trust in my coach and myself.”
Saturday’s final was a tight affair. Alfred recovered from a slow start to produce a late surge before catching the impressive Pole Eva Swaboda on the line.
She suffered several nerve-wracking moments before officials finally announced the winner.
Swaboda had earlier installed herself as the favorite for the gold when she raced to a world-leading 6.98 in winning her semi-final, while Alfred clocked 7.03 to win her semi.
However, the former University of Texas sprinter said that Swaboda’s semi-final fireworks had not intimidated her.
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I think I’ve grown a little more than last year – the World Championships outdoor until now.
“I feel [last year] prepared me for these championships, so even though someone runs faster than me in the semis, I don’t worry about it because there’s always a final.”
She added, “I think I had a great start, I think. I’ll have to ask my coach. Sometimes, I’m just so scared of these World Championship blocks, to be honest, so I think that getting out and not being scared [is important for me].
“The semi-final, I doubted myself … and I think I trusted myself in the finals just to get out.”
Alfred will now turn her attention to the upcoming season, the pinnacle of which will be the Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11.
She stressed that patience and planning would be critical in the buildup of the showpiece.
“It’s about trusting my coach and what he has planned for me,” Alfred said. “It’s one step at a time, one race at a time, and just practicing hard to execute.”
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