Saint Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred has once again etched her name in the history books by capturing the bronze medal in the women’s 60m event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland. The 24-year-old athlete from Ciceron clocked 7.03 seconds on March 20, finishing behind Italy’s gold medalist Zaynad Dosso and American Jacious Sears.
Despite entering the competition with the joint-fastest time globally, Alfred acknowledged that mental hurdles nearly overshadowed her physical preparedness. The Olympic 100m champion revealed that her slow reaction to the starter’s pistol became a significant psychological burden during her second World Indoors appearance. ‘The 60m is extremely short, and the most crucial part was the start,’ Alfred confessed to World Athletics. ‘Even if it doesn’t look like that, it has been really stressing me out.’
The bronze medal represents a remarkable comeback for Alfred, who suffered a hamstring injury that forced her withdrawal from the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Her recovery and return to elite competition make this achievement particularly meaningful. ‘I’m healthy,’ Alfred emphasized in a post-race interview. ‘I ended my last season unhealthy, but it’s something to learn from, and I’m just moving forward from here.’
Beyond physical rehabilitation, Alfred has engaged in substantial psychological work with a mental coach. ‘My biggest lesson now is learning how to lose, and how I bounce back from that is the most important thing,’ she explained. This fifth international medal marks not just athletic success but personal growth. ‘I had to learn the hard way to come out here and really just be Julien,’ she reflected. ‘Even though I mess up, the world keeps on spinning, and I have nothing to complain about.’
Looking ahead, Alfred identified the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as her primary focus for the year, where she aims to improve upon her silver medal performance in the 100m from the 2022 Games. Immediately following her bronze medal achievement, the sprinter expressed intentions to briefly explore Toruń before continuing her athletic journey, acknowledging she had been completely focused on competition since arriving in Poland.