"A lot of people would probably have not even said 'That was her race to win'" - Justin Gatlin picks Julien Alfred as his clutch performer for 2024

Justin Gatlin heaped praise on Julien Alfred for her performances throughout the 2024, singling out her exploits at the Paris Olympics and the Brussels Diamond League final. The Athens 2004 100m gold medalist picked the 23-year-old sprinter as his clutch performer for the year.

Alfred made history at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first athlete from Saint Lucia to win an Olympic medal. The 23-year-old clinched gold in the 100m event ahead of Sha'Carri Richardson after clocking 10.72 seconds in the final. She also won silver in the 200m competition, finishing behind Gabby Thomas after clocking 22.08 seconds in the final.

Not long after her exploits at the Paris Olympics, Alfred won the 100m event at the Diamond League final in Brussels, clocking 10.88 seconds. The Saint Lucian narrowly edged out Dina Asher-Smith, who took 10.92 seconds to finish her race.

Julien Alfred's exploits garnered praise from Justin Gatlin, who picked her as his clutch performer for 2024. The 42-year-old said that he liked the way the 23-year-old handled her races, adding that not many would have expected her to win the 100m event.

"My clutch pick is Julien Alfred. She handled business in the 100m and she turned around and handled business in the Diamond League Finals as well, and also, she did what she needed to do in the 200. You could tell that she was taxed and tired, she still got the job done. I liked the way she handled all her races, she did an amazing job, and it's so much pressure when you stand on that line, especially for the 100 metres, especially in her situation, the environment she was in," Alfred said (52:10).

"A lot of people would probably have not even said 'That was her race to win', you know. So, to watch her go out there and dominate that field and come away with a victory, very clutch, veru clutch, I believe so. So, that's my clutch pick," he added.

Julien Alfred: "The emotions of the Olympics came in waves"

Julien Alfred after winning the 100m event at the Diamond League final (Image Source: Getty)

Julien Alfred opened up about her emotions after winning the 100m gold in a recent interview with Athletics Weekly. The Saint Lucian sprinter said that she was overwhelmed after the race when she went to grab her bag.

“I think the emotions of the Olympics came in waves. When I crossed the line it was the realisation that I actually won. When I took off my spikes and went to grab my bag I was just so overwhelmed that I was the Olympic champion. There were peaks and troughs," the 23-year-old.

Before winning the Diamond League final in Brussels, Alfred finished second in the 100m event at the Zurich Diamond League, narrowly losing to Sha'Carri Richardson.

Apart from her triumphs in Paris and Brussels, the Saint Lucian sprinter also won the 100m event at the Monaco Diamond League in 2024 while claiming the gold medal in the 60m competition at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. She also won the 100m event at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston and the 200m competition at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix.