“After I got out of my dry phase, I didn’t know what I was doing after that, to be honest, but just really hoping to have a better race tomorrow and better execution.” Julien Alfred admitted just 24 hours before stepping onto the track at the Stockholm Diamond League. Her concerns were clear—despite clocking a solid 10.89 seconds (+1.1 m/s) in her season opener, Alfred wasn’t satisfied. She was particularly focused on sharpening her execution in the final phase of the race. So, what did she set out to fix in Stockholm? Simple: a cleaner, more powerful finish. A statement for her, but a warning for someone else…

On June 15, just two days after her 2025 debut, Julien Alfred returned to the blocks and delivered a scorching 10.75 seconds (+0.9 m/s) to win the women’s 100m at the Stockholm Diamond League. That time didn’t just blow past the competition—it came within striking distance of her personal best (10.72) and eclipsed the 31-year-old meet record. Even more eye-catching? She did it with such ease that it sent shockwaves through the sprinting world. That run turned heads—and for Coach Rob, it was a turning point.

In the latest episode of his YouTube podcast from June 15, the American coach didn’t mince words when addressing Sha’Carri Richardson, Alfred’s biggest rival and the reigning world champion. The message? Take Julien Alfred seriously—or risk getting left behind. “She’s [Sha’Carri] going to have to come in and come in hot because of the Olympics last year,” Rob said. “She lost in the semifinal, and she lost in the final to the same woman, Julianne Alfred, and the script was almost exactly the same. The only difference is the finals when everybody was paying attention.”

Coach Rob’s comments carry weight, especially with the World Championships looming. Last season’s head-to-head battles between Alfred and Richardson may have slipped under some radars, but that won’t be the case this year. With Alfred already near her peak and breaking records, the pressure is mounting. But according to Coach Rob, Sha’Carri won’t just be chasing Alfred—she’ll also have to fend off serious threats from within her own training circle.

At the Paris Olympics, Coach Rob had a clear takeaway from the women’s 100m showdown. “I felt like Julian Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson were the class of the field,” he said. “I know I can’t be alone in this, even though I’m sure people disagree. It felt like they were the class of the field because Sharika Jackson wasn’t on the line, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price wasn’t on the line. I mean, be real with me.”  With no Shericka Jackson or Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on the starting line, Rob saw the race through a narrowed lens—and Alfred and Richardson were the stars of that frame. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden? 

“Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is at least proving to me that I was wrong to put her with the rest of the field,” Rob admitted in his latest podcast. “Because, like I said, they’re giving out three medals regardless,” And with that statement, he acknowledged what fans are starting to see more clearly: the women’s 100m battle is deeper than just a two-woman rivalry.

Rob also expanded the conversation beyond the American sprinters, looping in the ever-formidable Jamaican trio. “You have the big three from Jamaica,” he added. “I mean, Sherika Jackson joined that big three toward the end of that, but there was always a medal more or less up for grabs.” And with names like Dina Asher-Smith still looming on the global radar, Sha’Carri Richardson has more than one challenger lining up beside her. Yet the biggest name ringing in Rob’s ears right now? Julien Alfred.

“Julien Alfred is here. She’s not going anywhere. It is what it is,” he declared, as if to plant a flag for the battles ahead. Sure, Sha’Carri may have the luxury of several byes into the upcoming World Championships. But from the moment she steps onto that track, the real work begins. The crown she earned in Budapest is no longer a shield—it’s a target. So, how is Sha’Carri Richardson responding to the mounting heat?

Stakes are high for Sha’Carri Richardson 

Sha’Carri Richardson summed up her 2025 season opener in one word: “No.” It was a blunt response that said it all. On May 18 in Tokyo, the reigning world champion stumbled out of the blocks—figuratively and literally—finishing fourth in the women’s 100m at the Golden Grand Prix. Her time? 11.47 seconds into a mild headwind of -0.9 m/s.

For most athletes, that might be chalked up as a rust-buster. But for Richardson, who’s used to fireworks and fanfare, it was more like a warning flare. The winner that day? Bree Rizzo of Australia, with a surprising 11.38. Twanisha Terry, one of Richardson’s U.S. teammates, claimed second (11.42), and Canada’s Sade McCreath edged out Richardson for third by a hundredth of a second. With a scowl on her face and no appetite for small talk, Sha’Carri ghosted the media, offering a single-word answer before vanishing down the tunnel. But here’s the thing about champions—they don’t let one bad day define their season.

Now, all eyes turn to July 5. Sha’Carri Richardson is set to return at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon—familiar ground, and a stage she’s lit up before. If there’s a time to answer her critics, it’s now. The silence is over. The target is real.