Saint Lucian sprint sensation Julien Alfred made a spectacular return to competition by posting the fastest indoor women’s 60m time globally this season. The 24-year-old Olympic champion dominated Heat 1 at the Woo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Arkansas, clocking an impressive 7.04 seconds at the Randal Tyson Track Center on Saturday.
The University of Texas alumna chose to launch her 2026 campaign in Arkansas rather than at the previously announced Millrose Games, marking her first competitive appearance since securing 100m bronze at last September’s Tokyo World Championships. This return to the track ends a 146-day competitive hiatus and represents her first 60m race since claiming gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow 707 days ago.
Alfred, currently ranked as the second-fastest woman in history over the indoor 60m distance, has declared ambitious dual objectives for the season. The sprint star aims to defend her title at next month’s World Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, while simultaneously targeting the longstanding world record of 6.92 seconds set by Russia’s Irina Privalova.
Her season-opening performance surpassed the previous indoor season best of 7.05 seconds set by Czech athlete Karolína Maňasová nearly three weeks prior. Notably, Alfred’s time also outperformed Jamaican sprinter Tia Clayton’s 7.02-second mark achieved at GC Foster College, which was recorded outdoors with wind assistance and therefore not eligible for indoor rankings.