For months, Julien Alfred carried the memory of the Paris Olympics 200m final, where she came close to completing a sprint double but had to settle for silver behind Gabby Thomas. The American claimed gold in 21.83 seconds, while Alfred crossed the line in 22.08. Nearly two years later, Alfred finally got the chance to take revenge, and she wasted no time in doing so. She defeated Thomas, lowered her own Saint Lucia national record, and even broke the 33-year-old Diamond League meeting record.

On July 10, Alfred delivered a stunning performance in the women’s 200m at the Monaco Diamond League. The Olympic 100m champion looked in control from the get-go. She exploded out of the blocks, carried her speed smoothly through the curve, and pulled away in the final straight. No one could challenge her as she crossed the finish line in a brilliant 21.51 seconds.

Adaejah Hodge, who entered the race as the fastest woman in the world this season after running 21.68 seconds in Eugene, finished second in 21.76. Thomas came in third with 21.84, while Kayla White and Cambrea Sturgis completed the top five. But undoubtedly, the night belonged to Alfred, who produced one of the finest performances of her career.

Her 21.51 run is now the world lead; she also lowered her own Saint Lucia national record of 21.71 seconds and broke Merlene Ottey’s Monaco Diamond League meeting record of 21.77 seconds, which had stood since 1993.

The performance also brought Alfred into the company of the elite. She became the third fastest woman after Florence Griffith Joyner’s 21.34-second world record and Shericka Jackson’s 21.41 seconds. Once she crossed the finish line, Alfred had a hard time keeping her feelings in check. She saw the clock, and it brought to her mind her victory in Paris after winning Olympic gold.

“It’s not about the reaction time, it’s about how you finish. I don’t care about my reaction time; I was first, that’s all that matters,” Alfred said. “I have been preparing for this for such a long time, to finally see it pay off, I am just happy. I didn’t realise how fast it was until I crossed the line. I looked at the clock and saw my time, and that’s why I was screaming like at the Olympics.”

Interestingly, Alfred admitted she was not expecting to run as fast, “I was actually hoping to see 21.6; I got 21.5, so I am happy nonetheless.” However, this performance should not be a surprise after seeing her season so far.

Julien Alfred entered Monaco in red-hot form

Julien Alfred had already been proving herself in top form before she arrived at the Monaco Diamond League. She made a good start to her 2026 campaign at the Rome Diamond League on June 4, taking a victory in the 21.93s women’s 200m. She won that race, beating reigning world 100m champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who finished second in 22.17 seconds.

A week later, Alfred returned to the 100m at the Oslo Diamond League, where she continued her impressive run by clocking 10.76 seconds for victory. This time, Alfred was not only chasing another win. She was facing Gabby Thomas. The rivalry between the two sprint stars had already produced several memorable battles. Thomas had a 3-1 record over Alfred in their last four 200m encounters before Monaco.

Interestingly, their first 200m showdown also came at the Monaco Diamond League three years earlier, where Alfred earned her only victory over Thomas. This time, however, Alfred made sure the Monaco crowd witnessed a completely different outcome.