"What led to Julien Alfred's withdrawal from 200m at World Athletic Championships? Everything about injury she endured during 100m final

Julien Alfred has officially pulled out of the 200m race at the World Athletics Championships, due to a hamstring injury she sustained during the 100m finals. This injury has affected her performances throughout the season.

Alfred ran in the 100m on September 14, earning a bronze medal after recording 10.84s, marking the Olympic champion's first World Championship medal. However, in this race, she sustained a grade one hamstring injury, which forced her to withdraw from the upcoming 200m race.

She experienced a cramp just before her race, which was later revealed to be a hamstring injury. One of the track insiders announced this update on X by sharing Alfred's picture and a caption that read:

"BREAKING NEWS: Julien Alfred has officially WITHDRAWN from the women’s 200m following a grade one hamstring strain during the 100m final. Speedy recovery."

The Saint Lucia Athletics Federation also shared a statement about Alfred's injury. They revealed that she withdrew from the event after consulting with the medical professionals and her team. It said (as quoted by Athletics Weekly):

"On the advice of medical professionals and in consultation with her management team, our Olympic champion and 100m World Athletics Championships bronze medalist, Julien Alfred, has been withdrawn from the women’s 200m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo."

Alfred was expected to run in the 200-meter heats on Wednesday, September 17, at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.

Julien Alfred expressed disappointment over losing the gold medal in the 100m race at the World Championships

In a conversation with The Inside Kane UK, Julien Alfred opened up about her 100-meter race at the World Championships, expressing dismay over losing the gold medal. She revealed that her gold-medal performance was affected by the cramp she suffered just before her race.

However, despite the injury, she extended gratitude, recalling her 2023 World Championship experience, where she fell short of bagging a medal. Alfred said (0:16 onwards):

“You know, I have to be grateful nonetheless. I came here in 2023 and left with nothing. So I'm really blessed. However, I think I'm human enough to feel disappointed. Just knowing that I worked my but off and you know track is a very unforgiving sport, and you know just being here and getting to this point in my career and getting a cramp is very disappointing."

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alfred performed well in the 100m, clinching the gold medal after clocking a time of 10.72s. A few days before her showdown at the World Athletics Championships, the 24-year-old shared a strong message, revealing her focus for the season.

Edited by Samya Majumdar