The anticipation surrounding Julien Alfred at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo was immense, with the St. Lucian sprinter entering as both the reigning Olympic 100m champion and one of the fastest women in the world that season. Having already run a national record of 21.71 seconds in the 200m in London that July—elevating her to ninth on the world all-time list—and securing victories in Diamond League meets, Alfred was considered a frontrunner for double gold in Tokyo.

Her journey from a fourth-place finish at the 2023 World Championships to Olympic glory in Paris had captured the global imagination, making her one of the most compelling stories heading into the championships. However, concerns had emerged weeks earlier when Alfred withdrew from Diamond League meets in Sile

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