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.”

Getting to here, however, was not easy. Alfred suffered a rough patch at the World Championships, a grade 1 hamstring strain in the 100m final in Tokyo in 2025. Despite this, she still managed bronze (10.84), but the discomfort forced her to pull out of the 200m. It was a blow that brought her down to speed and put her back on the ground.

In 2026, she came back with a clear purpose. She opened up her season winning the women’s 60m at the Wooo Pig Classic in 7.00 then following it up with 6.99 at the Tyson Invitational. At the World Indoor Championships in Toruń on March 21, she ran 7.06 to secure bronze, before returning outdoors with confidence.

Her outdoor season quickly picked up momentum. At the Texas Invitational in Austin on April 30, she ran 21.86 in the 200m, showing early world-leading form. She also picked up wins in the 100m and 200m at the Texas Invitational meet stretch, confirming she was building back to full rhythm. By the time she arrived in Rome, she had already stacked consistency across the season. Still, her 21.93 in Rome was a bit off her personal best of 21.71, leaving room for more.

Even then, it’s worth remembering she is the Olympic 100m champion, not primarily a 200m specialist, yet she is still delivering at world level in the longer sprint. That raises a question about her direction moving forward, and she addressed it herself after a race: