Julien Alfred: Saint Lucia's golden girl sets sights on breaking 32-year-old world record

After a year of both historic highs and injury-related setbacks, Saint Lucia's golden girl Julien Alfred has set her sights on a monumental goal: breaking the long-standing women's 60-meter world record.

The 2024 world 60m champion is targeting the 2026 season to chase down one of track and field's most resilient records, a mark that has remained untouched for over three decades.

Alfred, who has already cemented her place among the world's best sprinters, is now channeling her focus toward this new, audacious challenge.

Her indoor campaign is set to kick off at the Millrose Games in New York City on February 11, marking her return to the short sprint after bypassing the event in 2025 to concentrate on outdoor competition.

"I’m really looking forward to competing in the 60m again," Alfred shared on the CITIUS MAG Podcast. "It’s [going to be] a fun year for me doing the things that I actually love and enjoy. I’m actually really excited."

The standout sprinter who had a breakthrough year in 2024, after sweeping all major 60m and 100m titles. has a personal best of 6.94s, just 0.02s short of Irina Privalova's legendary 6.92-second world record run set back in 1993.

This renewed focus on the indoor circuit is a strategic move. With no major global outdoor championships on the 2026 calendar, Alfred has a unique opportunity to dedicate her efforts to this specific goal without distraction.

Alfred's 2025 season was a tale of two halves. She dedicated her efforts to the outdoor World Championships in Tokyo, where she secured a bronze medal in the 100 meters—the same event in which she became a national hero by winning Olympic gold in 2024. However, her season was cut short by an injury that forced her to withdraw from further competition. Now fully recovered, she is using that experience as fuel for her upcoming endeavors.

Alfred returned to Saint Lucia, balancing rest with a structured training regimen that began in early November. This preparation is laying the foundation for her assault on the indoor record books.

The Millrose Games will provide an immediate high-stakes test. The field at The Armoury is stacked with elite talent, including American Aleia Hobbs, who matches Alfred's personal best of 6.94 seconds. Defending Millrose champion Jacious Sears and Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, a former training partner of Alfred, will also be in contention, promising a thrilling showdown.

Alfred is no stranger to success at this prestigious meet, holding the event record of 6.99 seconds, which she set in 2024. She has dipped under the seven-second barrier five times in her career, joining an exclusive club that includes legends like Merlene Ottey and Gail Devers. Privalova, however, remains the benchmark with an incredible 13 sub-seven-second performances.