Gatlin impressed with Alfred’s 2025 performances

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC):

Former Olympic and World champion Justin Gatlin believes that St Lucia’s sprint queen Julien Alfred will be the favourite to capture gold in the women’s 100 metres and 200 metres at the upcoming World Athletics Championships, scheduled to be held in Tokyo in September.

Gatlin’s comments have come following Alfred’s spectacular performance at last weekend’s Diamond League London Athletics meet where she captured gold in the 200m in 21.71 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.

The 24-year-old Alfred, who won gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m at last year’s Paris Olympics, is the second fastest over 100m this year behind American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

Gatlin, the 2004 men’s 100m Olympic champion, said he expected Alfred to go even faster in Tokyo.

“Usually, when you hear about ninth all-time, fifth all-time, second, third all-time, those are usually run in championship settings. You’re usually giving your fastest effort for the most important race.

“To be able to run that kind of time during the Diamond League tells you what we got in store next coming up in the next couple races,” Gatlin said.

Gatlin, the 2005 World Champion over 200m, lauded Alfred’s coach, Edrick Floreal, who he said had done an outstanding job in helping her to develop.

He said Floreal’s style of coaching would relieve much of the pressure on Alfred.

“Flo is that kind of coach; he’s going to get into your head, he’s going to talk to you ... You get an understanding of what kind of coach you’re dealing with; that creates an athlete like this. Like, she’s not even worried about times. They just clipping it off.

“He’s probably telling her, ‘Don’t worry about times. It’s all about effort ... You come back in this warm-up area, you’re gonna get a nice hug, pat on the back; mission accomplished’!” Gatlin said.

“That takes away a lot of pressure ... A lot of athletes get down on themselves like, ‘man, that’s not the time I want to hit’, but they don’t realise the master plan is always in the coach’s head. And that’s why they say, ‘Flo knows’.”