Reigning Olympic 100m champion Julian Alfred has reacted to her 100m loss to Sha’Carri 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. Alfred’s 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.
“It felt good, right now I’m just really having fun and trying to finish strong. I’ve relaxed for a few days but I’ve really not gotten a chance to take it all in yet. I went back to Texas…It’s been up and down and I’m still working on fine-tuning and still working on all that stuff,” she told 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.
“I’m not going to double in Brussels…I have nothing in particular but I just want to finish strong and healthy, that’s what I care about. I just want to celebrate with my country when I go back home,” she said.
