Track and field has always been the sport of surprises. Since Paris, it’s like the shocks just keep rolling in. And if you’re an avid fan? You live for this. But let’s be real, after seeing Julien Alfred come out of the Paris Olympics with that 100m gold, it’s hard to call anything she does now a shock. Watching her this year, it’s not about if she performs, it’s about how big she goes. The upcoming World Championships? That might not be a surprise either. It’s looking more and more like Julian’s stage to rule. So, yes, fans are holding their breath. Rivals are locked in. And legends? They’re talking. Confident? Yes. A little concerned? Maybe. Why? Let’s hear it from them.

American track and field legends Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green recently turned their attention to one name dominating every sprint headline: Julien Alfred. On their podcast Ready Set Go, the duo couldn’t stop raving about the reigning Olympic 100m champion who is still unbeaten in 2025. And it’s not just about the wins, it’s how she’s doing it. Just days ago, Alfred torched the track in Stockholm, clocking 10.75 seconds to erase a 31-year-old meet record set by Irina Privalova back in 1994. In doing so, she left stars like Dina Asher-Smith (10.93) and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (11.00) in her dust. What makes it even crazier?

This came just three days after she claimed the 100m in 10.89 seconds at the Oslo Diamond League. In track and field, dropping times like that in under a week is rare air. Improvements usually come in hundredths of a second, not tenths, and rarely within days. To put it in perspective: most world-class sprinters train months to shave off just 0.05 seconds. Alfred went from 10.89  to 10.75 in just 72 hours. No wonder Gatlin had to weigh in when it’s about track and field.

He said, “This lady, this individual who is the Olympic reigning Olympic champion in 100 meters, Julian Alfred, has just dropped her second 100, which she ran 10.75. So between her 10.86 a week ago, now to her 10.75, she’s making big drops.” And he’s right. That’s not just progression, it’s dominance. As we know, the World Championships are coming, and if she keeps this up, it won’t be a surprise.

Justin Gatlin continued, “And I’m telling you right now, between her times in progression… hopefully these athletes can sustain their fitness and peak at the right time when it comes to the World Championships.” He’s clearly impressed, but also realistic; he knows what it takes to be the best and how brutal track and field can be, especially with injuries always lurking. So far, Julien Alfred has already competed in five major races this season, and 5 times across three distances.. But what next?

And now, she’s officially confirmed to race at the prestigious Herculis EBS Meeting on Thursday, July 11th, 2025, at the Louis-II Stadium in Monaco. If she continues at this pace and stays healthy, she’s shaping up to be a serious threat to Sha’Carri Richardson and the rest of the world’s elite. t. But despite her incredible rise in track and field, she’s still chasing one other 24-year-old who’s leading the pack this season, and no, it’s not Sha’Carri.

Being the second fastest in the world, Julien Alfred is still hungry when it comes to track and field

Julien Alfred’s 2025 track and field résumé is starting to look ridiculous. Five races, five wins: an indoor national‑record 36.16 s over 300 m in Boston ; a world‑leading 21.88 s 200 m in Gainesville; a smooth 22.15 s victory in Zagreb; then the outdoor 100 m double, 10.89 s in blustery Oslo and, three days later, a 31‑year meet record 10.75 s in Stockholm. That 10.75 sits second on the 2025 world list, trailing only Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden’s 10.73 blast in Philadelphia less than a month ago. In a season where every hundredth is a headline, Alfred hasn’t lost a step or a race. What’s fueling the surge?

Brutal, longer‑rep work with coach Edrick “Flo” Floreal. Alfred admits, “Training has been so different, this year it’s been a lot harder than before… Now the Olympics is over and I’ll be preparing for the World Championships next year.” She’s embraced 400 m and 300 m sessions she once hated, “Why am I running these 400s and 300s out in public? … But I trust him and what he has for me.” Justin Gatlin loves the scheme, telling the Ready Set Go podcast, “I love what Coach Flo is putting together… you run those 4×400s, come down to 300, then 200—the 21s start falling all over the board. You can see the strength and the speed start to come into effect.”

With Jefferson‑Wooden holding the current world lead, the showdown everyone wants, Alfred vs. Jefferson‑Wooden (with Sha’Carri Richardson lurking as defending champion), could light up Tokyo. Until then, Alfred’s perfect record, revamped training, and ever‑shrinking splits say one thing: the next shock might be hers to deliver in track and field.