The women’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo was framed as the marquee event of the competition. With Olympic champion Julien Alfred, reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, and world leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden all entered, anticipation soared. The prospect of the Olympic podium revisiting their rivalry on the global stage had been described as a race with as much intrigue as a “Hollywood blockbuster”- Olympics.com. Yet within hours of the final, the storyline shifted dramatically.

The much-anticipated final on September 14 delivered brilliance from Jefferson-Wooden. The 22-year-old American stormed to victory in a championship record of 10.61 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded. “It has been an amazing year,” Jefferson-Wooden said afterward, reflecting on a season that also included a Diamond League triumph in Zurich. “Coming out with the gold medal and a championship record, it’s a great start to my second world championships.” Behind her, Jamaica’s Tia Clayton secured silver in 10.76, while Alfred crossed third in 10.84, her reaction time the fastest in the field at 0.169 but her stride visibly hampered. Sha’Carri Richardson, unable to match her rivals, finished fifth in a season-best 10.94, while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce concluded her final global championship in sixth.

The turning point of the week, however, came not in Jefferson-Wooden’s victory but in Alfred’s sudden setback. The Saint Lucia Athletics Federation announced the following morning that the Olympic 100m champion had withdrawn from the 200m. “On the advice of medical professionals and in consultation with her management team, our Olympic champion and 100m World Athletics Championships bronze medallist, Julien Alfred has been withdrawn from the women’s 200m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Julien sustained a grade 1 hamstring strain. The decision to withdraw prioritises her health and long-term career.” The statement from the Saint Lucia Athletics Federation confirmed what had been evident in the final. Alfred’s bronze medal run had come at a physical cost.

For Alfred, the disappointment is particularly acute given her trajectory. Only a year ago, she had delivered Saint Lucia’s first Olympic title with gold in Paris, followed by silver in the 200m. Entering Tokyo, her season-best 10.75 positioned her among the year’s fastest, just behind Jefferson-Wooden’s 10.65. The semi-finals suggested she was in prime form, comfortable through her first two starts, before her injury struck during the most consequential race. Citius Mag summarized the blow on social media, “After earning a bronze medal in the women’s 100m in the World Championships final last night, it appears that Julien Alfred is OUT of the 200m due to a grade one hamstring injury.”

The withdrawal leaves Jefferson-Wooden as the headline act in the sprints. At only 22, she has risen from Olympic bronze in Paris to world champion in Tokyo, now preparing for the 200m and the 4x100m relay. “When the gun went off, I just thought, ‘Come on, get out strong.’ The rest of the race went like a blink of an eye,” she said after her victory. For Richardson, Fraser-Pryce, and Alfred, the final was a reminder of both the competitiveness of this generation and the unforgiving nature of championship racing. For Alfred in particular, the focus now turns to recovery, with her nation hoping that the decision to step away ensures longevity for a career still in its ascent. Before Worlds unfolded, the St. Lucian Olympic champ opened up about confronting self-doubt while maintaining humility amid her Olympic success.

Julien Alfred vowed to stay humble despite Olympic triumphs and rising confidence

Julien Alfred never permitted triumph to distort her perspective. Even after becoming an Olympic champion, she admitted, “I don’t want to get swell-headed and think that I’ve made it because there’s more that I want to achieve in life.” Her choice of words reflected not only modesty but also an unrelenting standard she applied to herself. She acknowledged that the greatest challenge was not the medal itself but the responsibility of carrying such recognition without surrendering to complacency.

She explained that remaining ordinary in her daily conduct was essential to her balance. “I’m just a normal person,” she remarked, insisting that the acclaim surrounding her had not altered her sense of self. In her view, discipline and humility were the true safeguards against distraction. The difficulty, she conceded, was in the constant pursuit of improvement. “I’m just so hard on myself, I always want to do better,” she said, a confession that revealed both the weight of expectation and the determination to rise above it.

A year removed from her Olympic victory, Alfred spoke of her evolution with quiet certainty. She observed that she had become “much more confident and much stronger” while learning to relax under pressure, attributing this shift to training methods that emphasized visualisation and composure. These changes, she believed, prepared her for the forthcoming World Championships, where she intended to compete with a clear head and steady resolve.

Her reflections conveyed a portrait of an athlete who valued humility as highly as power, and who regarded restraint not as weakness but as the foundation for lasting excellence. Now, as Alfred succumbs to this major setback on the international stage, track fans will just have to await news of her recovery and return.