Julien Alfred makes her feelings known on rivalry with Sha'Carri Richardson following Olympic face-off

Julien Alfred commented on her budding rivalry with 100m world champion Sha'Carri Richardson and clarified that everything was well between them. The sprinters faced off in the 100m Olympic final at the Paris Olympics with Alfred winning the title in 10.72s.

Richardson was the overwhelming favorite for the 100m title before Alfred upset her in Paris. She was the reigning world champion in the event and had clocked the fastest time of the year at the U.S. Olympic Trials, 10.71s.

The American had defeated Alfred earlier in the season at the Prefontaine Classic and held an upper hand heading into the Olympics. She was beaten twice by the St.Lucian sprinter in the semifinals and finals and settled for silver in 10.87s.

The duo faced off twice following the Olympics, each winning one race as the rivalry continued to grow. However, off the track, the two share a cordial relationship.

Speaking with Sky Sports in an interview, Alfred weighed on the off-track relationship between sprinters.

"Whenever I see my competitors I do say hi to them or like on Instagram somebody posts a picture we'll respond to them. We'll have a quick chat in our DMs as well. So I think what people see on the track such as us being rivals, outside of the track people can be very nice as well," she said (6:17 onwards).

Speaking about Richardson, Alfred said that the American sprinter had been sweet to her.

"She's a very sweet person to me. I don't have any issues with her," she added.

The duo have faced off seven times over the 100m and Alfred leads the head-to-head record 4-3.

---

"I wrote that 'the world will know my name, I am unstoppable" - Julien Alfred on manifesting her Paris Olympics gold medal

Brussels Diamond League 2024 - Julien Alfred wins 100m title (Source: Getty)

While Julien Alfred was a relatively lesser-known name in professional sprinting before the Olympics, she was popular in college athletics, having won both NCAA outdoor and indoor titles. She was the first St. Lucian athlete to win an NCAA D1 Championship and her power of manifestation propelled her to win her first Olympic gold medal for her country.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Woman's Hour, Alfred explained how manifestation helped her, saying:

"One of the things I wrote down is 'Julien Alfred Olympic Champion'. Just manifesting, knowing how hard I have worked for this moment. Also, I wrote that 'the world will know my name, I am unstoppable, it's my race, my coach has prepared me for it, have fun'. There were so many different things that I wrote down, but just realizing that I had a great chance of winning and also believing in myself before going to the finals that I was already the Olympic champion," she said (0:30).

The 23-year-old went on to win the 100m Diamond League Finals following her Olympic success. Sha'Carri Richardson was also competing in the finals but only managed an eight-place finish.