Reigning Olympic 100m champion Julian Alfred has reacted to her 100m loss to ShaāCarri Richardson at the Diamond League Meeting in Zurich.
The St. Lucian athlete went into the race as a favourite to impress but was forced to finish second in the hotly contested race, with Richardson taking the win.
The American sprint queen crossed the finish line in 10.84 seconds ahead of the Olympic 200m silver medalist who came in second in a time of 10.88 seconds. Alfredās teammate, an Olympic silver medalist Dina Asher-Smith, rounded up the podium in a time of 10.89 seconds.
In a post-race interview, Alfred disclosed that she was out to enjoy herself and not put much pressure as she eyes the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels. She noted that after the Olympics, she went back to training and has not had enough time to relax.
āIt felt good, right now Iām just really having fun and trying to finish strong. Iāve relaxed for a few days but Iāve really not gotten a chance to take it all in yet. I went back to Texasā¦Itās been up and down and Iām still working on fine-tuning and still working on all that stuff,āĀ she toldĀ Citius Mag.
Speaking about the duel in Brussels, Alfred insisted that she does not have a lot of pressure to deliver and will be out to ensure she has a strong finish.
She added that her main aim will be to maintain her health and once she is done, she will go back to her country and celebrate her Olympic achievements.
āIām not going to double in Brusselsā¦I have nothing in particular but I just want to finish strong and healthy, thatās what I care about. I just want to celebrate with my country when I go back home,āĀ she said.
