Julien Alfred has reflected on her love for the 60m and the personal challenges that led her to step away from the event in 2025.
Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred has opened up about her struggle with the 60m, revealing that despite it being her favourite event, there are reasons behind her little interest in competing.
She explained that for some reason, competing in the 60m imposes a certain pressure on her to deliver, unlike the 100m and 200m.
In the previous seasons, Julien Alfred has always been competing in the indoor 60m before starting her outdoor season but she has chosen a different path for the 2025 season.
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She explained that one of the reasons she has no interest in it is because she wants to build her strength but also insisted that she does not want to pressure herself a lot.
“I love the 60m, one of my favourite events, I won’t be running it this year at all, unfortunately, just focusing on getting stronger,” Julien Alfred said in a past interview ahead of her season opener at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
“Before I used to put so much pressure on myself to win my 60m but I realised it’s just not a 60m or full 100m. Just this year, I’m focusing on getting stronger and I won’t be running it this year.”
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At the event, Julien Alfred competed in the 300m where she claimed top honours, before proceeding to the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational where she also claimed top honours in the 400m.
She opened up about her struggle after the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, revealing that she found it difficult to get back on track due to the pressure to deliver.
Julien Alfred explained that she felt the need to win every race and knew her fans from across the globe had high expectations.
“Most definitely, I think I’ve spoken about that so many times last year, just hearing my story,” Julien Alfred shared.
“But right after world indoors, I went into a really dark place where I felt like there was just so much pressure on me to go out there and deliver every time I stepped in the track.
“This caused my coach to take me off the track to work on myself mentally and physically to prepare for the Olympic Games.”
However, after a while, she got back on track and was able to deliver at the Paris Olympic Games, winning the 100m title and settling for a silver medal behind Gabby Thomas in the 200m.