On a sun-drenched, mild Saturday afternoon at London’s iconic Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Saint Lucia’s sprinting sensation Julien Alfred cemented her status as the world’s most dominant women’s sprinter, claiming top honors in the 200m event at the Novuna London Athletics Meet, a stop on the prestigious Wanda Diamond League circuit.
Fresh off capturing Paris 2024 Olympic silver in the 200m, Alfred continued her unstoppable streak of top form this season. Crossing the finish line in 21.66 seconds under near-perfect wind conditions – just a 0.1 m/s tailwind – the sprinter shattered her own 2023 meet record of 21.71 seconds, delivering yet another career-defining performance.
Her win came against a star-studded field of the sport’s biggest names, leaving elite competitors far behind her. American Gabby Thomas, the reigning Olympic 200m champion, took second place with a time of 21.81 seconds, while Bahamian double Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, a renowned 400m specialist, secured third in 22.24 seconds. Host nation favorite Dina Asher-Smith, a former world champion, clocked a 2024 season-best 22.28 seconds to finish fourth.
This dominant run came just seven days after Alfred blazed to a 21.51-second 200m win at the Monaco Diamond League, a result that pushed her to third place on the all-time women’s 200m rankings and made her the second-fastest sprinter over the distance in almost 40 years. Saturday’s race marked Alfred’s third competition in seven days, and her seventh win from seven starts in the 2024 season. It also leveled her head-to-head all-time 200m record against Thomas at three wins apiece.
Beyond the title and record, Alfred’s London time stands as the joint 15th-fastest 200m run in women’s history. She is now one of only eight female sprinters in the world to have ever run the distance faster than 21.7 seconds, underscoring her place among the sport’s all-time greats as she continues her historic run ahead of future global competitions.