Why Rosemary Chukwuma can stun Julien Alfred at the BIG 12 Championships

In NCAA rivalries, one that tends to be overlooked is that between Rosemary Chukwuma and Julien Alfred, who are set to rekindle their rivalry at the BIG 12 Championships this weekend.

These two have been racing against each other since the 2018 Youth Olympic Games when Chukwuma came out victorious, and ever since, both have been sharing wins.

At the 2022 BIG 12 Championships, Chukwuma edged Alfred to the 60m title in 7.17s, though both clocked identical times. Outdoors it was the other way round, as Alfred won the title in 10.80s (2.4), and the Nigerian finished third in 10.88s. In the 200m, Chukwuma was third in a lifetime best of 22.33s (2.0) ahead of her rival in 22.64s.

Internationally, they clashed in the 100m final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where the St. Lucian speedster won the silver medal, and Chukwuma was fourth.

This season Alfred has taken her game to an incredible height, having dominated and stayed unbeaten in the college circuit. She eventually became the second-fastest woman in history in the 60m and 200m with times of 6.94s and 22.01s respectively.

In addition, she secured the BIG 12 and NCAA indoor titles in the event in Collegiate Record (CR) times, making her one of the best athletes in the NCAA this season.

However, amid Alfred's dominance, only Chuwuma has threatened her enough to defeat her in a race. This was at the Tom Jones Invitational, where Chukwuma ran an excellent race in the college race of the women's 100m and chased down Alfred to the finish line in a time of 10.85s, behind Alfred's 10.72s (2.4).

The Nigerian speedster is the first athlete to race that close to Alfred this season, already a huge confidence boost for the Texas Tech sprinter after an awkward ending to the indoor season.

With the BIG 12 Championships set to be another clash of bragging rights, if there's anyone that has the speed and knows how to defeat Alfred to a surprise win, then it is Chukwuma.