"It's been up and down"- Julien Alfred weighs in on training after Paris Olympics as she loses to Sha'Carri Richardson at the Zürich Diamond League

Julien Alfred recently said her training has been 'up and down' and that she's working on certain aspects to improve. After her successful Paris Olympics 2024 campaign (gold in 100m and silver in 200m), the Saint Lucian sprinter lost to her US rival Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, September 5.

Alfred started her year with a 60m gold at the 2024 World Athletics Championships, followed by a 100m silver at the Prefontaine Classic. Her stellar 100m run in 10.72s at the Paris Olympics led her to gold and she even broke the National record. Leaving reigning 100m World champion Richardson in silver, Alfred became the first-ever Saint Lucian to medal at the Olympics.

At the last Diamond League in Zurich before the Brussels finals, the 23-year-old faced Richardson but lost. The latter finished first in 10.84s and the Olympic champion trailed with 10.88s, In a post-race interview, Julien Alfred pointed out her inconsistent training and confirmed working on it.

"It’s been up and down. Still working on fine-tuning and still working on all that stuff," she said (via CITIUS Mag on X). [0:35]

When asked about her post-Olympic feelings, Alfred said:

"I really haven't gotten the chance to take it all in."

Ahead of the Diamond League finals in Brussels, Alfred refuted having a specific plan for the 100m.

"Nothing [plans] in particular. Just finishing strong cause that's what I care about."

Julien Alfred on her plan to improve the track facilities in Saint Lucia with her Olympic gold

Paris 2024 - Athletics - Source: Getty

Hailing from the little island nation of Saint Lucia, Julien Alfred faced several hardships in her track and field journey. After winning the monumental gold, the first for her nation, the 23-year-old beamed with ecstasy, determined to improve sporting facilities in the country.

"Growing up, I used to be on the field struggling, with no shoes, running barefoot, running in my school uniform, running all over the place. "We barely have the right facilities. The stadium is not fixed. I hope this gold medal will help Saint Lucia build a new stadium, to help the sport grow," Alfred shared (via Olympics.com).

She added:

"I’m going to start crying. I’ve been trying to stay strong as much as possible. It means a lot to me, my coach, my country.."

Julien Alfred was the 100m silver medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She also added the 100m gold from the Central American and Caribbean Games to her resume.