Julien Alfred Reveals How Losing to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden at Prefontaine Classic Affected Her
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Julien Alfred has opened up about how her loss to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden in the women’s 100m at the Prefontaine Classic awakened another spirit in her.
The reigning Olympic 100m champion went into the women’s 100m in Eugene, Oregon, having maintained a winning streak since the started the season, but Melissa Jefferson-Wooden gave her a rude awakening.
Jefferson-Wooden crossed the finish line first ahead of Alfred, clocking an impressive 10.75 seconds. Julien Alfred came in second in 10.77 seconds as Africa’s fastest woman, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, sealed the podium in 10.90 seconds.
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Julien Alfred Breaks Silence on Losing to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
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Julien Alfred has since spoken about the loss, revealing that it opened her eyes and showed her that she was still far from accomplishing her goals.
The Olympic 200m silver medallist pointed out that she went back to the drawing board and continued putting in the work, something that has yielded great results at the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco.
Julien Alfred claimed the win in 10.79 seconds ahead of American Jacious Sears and Zoe Hobbs of New Zealand, who clocked respective times of 11.02 and 11.12.
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“It’s a good season for me, I mean, we all saw how last week went for me. I think it really sparked a fire in me to know that I’m not where I need to be, and just really trusting in God’s plan for my life,” Julien Alfred said in an interview after the race.
Julien Alfred added that it is a long season and, since there were no trials, the focus is on taking one race at a time.
She added that at the moment, she is working on execution in each race and trying to get sharper with every performance.
“It’s a new year, and I don’t need to put a lot of pressure on myself. I used to listen to the outside noise, but now I’m just focusing on myself and working on getting better,” Julien Alfred added.
Julien Alfred’s defeat in Eugene became a turning point in her season, reigniting her focus and determination as she silences the noise and sharpens her form ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.