Anticipation is high ahead of Zürich’s Weltklasse Diamond League meeting this Thursday, and specifically the women’s 100m. The 2:26 pm race will feature Saint Lucia’s World Indoor 60m champion and Olympic gold medallist Julien Alfred against a stellar field.Leading the way will be 2023 world champion and Olympic silver medallist, the USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson. European champions Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain and Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland are also in the loaded field.It will be the first outing for Alfred and Richardson since they met at the Stade de France in Paris 2024. The 23-year-old from Ciceron said at a pre-race press conference that she’s looking forward to her homecoming after a brilliant season.“It’s been good; I’ve really been enjoying the process and just really taking in what happened in Paris, but just not getting ahead of myself,” she said. “I’m just trying to take it one step at a time.“I’m going to go back home. I haven’t got a chance to celebrate with my country as yet, to see the youth of my country. So I really just want to go back to Saint Lucia, and celebrate with them and maybe go for a vacation after that. I’m still deciding on where I want to go.”Alfred lives and trains in the USA, under the guidance of University of Texas coach Edrick Floréal. She credited her training partners with helping to keep her sharp.“Definitely. Each training session is like really high quality, it’s very competitive,” she asserted. “And you know training alongside Dina Asher-Smith, Rashidat Adeleke, there’s also Kevona Davis in my training group, so just having a group with such high-quality world-class athletes, it really helps me to train at my best, and compete at my best.”A six-time collegiate champion in the USA, Alfred said that a reduced workload from years prior has been a significant factor in her success this season. As a professional athlete, she no longer has to worry about the grind of running every week.“Less races. You know last year I had NCAA season,” she declared. “I don’t have any trials. So I really just prepared for the Olympics. I think that has been the biggest difference compared to like other athletes, and last year.”After Thursday’s race, Alfred will conclude her year at the Diamond League finals in Brussels on September 22, returning to Saint Lucia two days later. She said on Wednesday that in 2025, one of her goals is to improve in the 200m, where she got a silver medal at the Olympics.
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