Olympic Champion Julien Alfred reflects on setting a new 300m national record at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in season opener

Reigning 100m Olympic champion Julien Alfred had an incredible 2024, winning multiple major international medals. On Sunday, February 2, the Saint Lucian opened her 2025 season, setting a 300m national record in her first race of the year.

For Alfred, 2024 had begun with a gold medal finish in the 60m sprint at the World Indoor Championships. She followed this up by winning the 100m gold and 200m silver at the Paris Olympics, before rounding her season out by clinching the Diamond League Trophy.

Now, the 23-year-old looks poised for another season of dominance on the track. On Sunday, the sprinter made her 2025 season debut, running the 300m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Putting together an impressive race, she clocked a Saint Lucian national record of 36.16s for the win.

Taking to her Instagram after the event, Julien Alfred reflected on her victory, writing,

“300m national record. Thank you @nbindoorgp.”

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Julien Alfred on her season opener and training for the year ahead

Alfred at the Brussels Diamond League 2024 (Image Source: Getty)

Over the course of her career, Julien Alfred has been known for her incredible skills in short-distance sprints. In 2025, the Saint Lucian and her coach are working more on her endurance and strength. Talking to Tiara Williams after her performance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, Alfred reflected on experimenting with the 300m distance, saying,

"It was something, but to be honest, my coach and I have been working really hard. We're working on my strength and endurance as well. So most of the in and out would be 300, 400. But you know, I'm just going according to what he has planned for me. I'm hoping, looking forward to it, working with my coach to get that done.”

In a separate interview with FloTrack, the Olympic champion discussed how her training differs from 2024, and outlined her targets for the upcoming year.

“Oh my God, training has been so different this year. It's been a lot harder than before thanks to Flo. But you know now Olympics is over and (I am) preparing for world championships in September I believe. So that's trying to lock in, and remember you know, you (are) only as good as your last race, and trying to remain focus and just not get too comfortable as of now,” she said.

The 2025 World Championship are scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, in September. Julien Alfred will arrive at the event as the reigning 100m Olympic champion and will look to win the only major medal missing from her collection.