Revenge complete! Last year at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden took gold in a championship record 10.61, while Olympic champion Julien Alfred finished with bronze in 10.84. Alfred was clearly disappointed after that race, saying, “It really wasn’t my best race.” Fast forward to 2026 in Rome, at the Diamond League, Alfred turned the tables and got her win back over Jefferson-Wooden. But even after the win, she didn’t look satisfied!

On June 4, Alfred clocked 21.93 to edge Jefferson-Wooden’s 22.17. Anavia Battle took third in 22.39, with Amy Hunt fourth in 22.52. “Win is a win. I wanted to go a bit faster but I will take the win,” Alfred said afterwards. She was slightly slower than Jefferson-Wooden out of the blocks, but once they hit the back half of the race, Alfred took control and never really looked back, easing off only in the final meters.

She added, “I am healthy, and that’s important too. I am a lot stronger now than I used to be, and that’s why I could push a bit extra in the second part of the race. I expected the pressure from Melissa. I am kind of satisfied with this Diamond League win, but still I wished to run faster.”