Olympic sprint champion Julien Alfred will face one of her toughest challenges this year when she lines up against Gabby Thomas and Adaejah Hodge in the women’s 200 metres at Friday’s Monaco Diamond League.
The race at Stade Louis II will feature Alfred, Thomas and Hodge – the three fastest women in the event this year.
The 25-year-old Alfred, who copped gold in the women’s 100m at the 2024 Olympic Games, has a personal best of 21.71 seconds, with 21.86 being her fastest time this season.
However, Hodge, a University of Georgia student from the British Virgin Islands, holds the fastest 200m time this year at 21.63 seconds, while Thomas, an American, ran 21.70 last month and is the fourth-fastest woman ever in the event.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the race, Alfred, who will be competing in Monaco for a fourth time, said she was looking forward to the challenge.
‘I’m really excited to go out here and just see where I’m at after resting for the past four week. Since turning pro, I’ve been here multiple times. I ran my first Diamond League here, so I’m just really excited to race again.
‘I feel good. I’m in really great shape…I’m in great shape physically and mentally as well, so I’m really excited to race tomorrow,’ Alfred said.