Julien Alfred Explains Decision to Run 100m Final Injured Before Withdrawing From 200m at World Championships

Olympic champion Julien Alfred

Julien Alfred Explains Decision to Run 100m Final Injured Before Withdrawing From 200m at World Championships

Abigael Wafula 06:08 - 16.09.2025

Julien Alfred revealed she ran the 100m final despite a hamstring strain, earning bronze before withdrawing from the 200m.

Julien Alfred has explained the reason behind running the women’s 100m final injured and withdrawing from the women’s 200m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

The reigning Olympic champion revealed that she felt a bit of discomfort just before the final but went ahead and showed up, and luckily for her, she walked away with a bronze medal in 10.84 seconds.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden cruised to a dominant victory in the race, clocking a championship record time of 10.61 seconds ahead of Jamaican youngster Tina Clayton, 21, who finished second in a personal best time of 10.76 seconds.

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Julien Alfred was in great shape, starting her campaign in the heats, where she jogged to a 10.93-second win to proceed to the semifinal, where she also claimed the win ahead of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

World Athletics Championships 2025: Julien Alfred Was Injured Before 100m Final

Julien Alfred withdraws from the 200m
Julien Alfred has withdrawn from 200m at the 2025 World Championships due to an injury. Photo: Imago

Julien Alfred revealed that during the warm-up ahead of the women’s 100m final, she felt a strain in her hamstring and panicked a bit because she knew if she decided to run, then she would not be at her best.

The Olympic 200m silver medallist pointed out that she just decided to show up and run, noting that she might have regretted her decision if she chose not to.

She noted that running the 100m final while injured and still able to get a medal was proof to her that she was strong and could conquer anything.

“I mean, it really wasn’t my best race; however, I think I was honest last night. I was super healthy, but when I did my last block start, that’s when I felt a cramp in my hamstring. Right then, I panicked, whether I wanted to run or not, and I made the decision to go and run,” Julien Alfred revealed in a video shared by Citius Mag.

“Even though I was asked why I decided to run, I think if I sat behind in the call room and did not run, I would have regretted it even more, but I’m glad that I decided to do it.

“I’m a hard worker, tough, and I’m just happy about the decision I made, even though it was a tough one, and I was really panicking.”

Julien Alfred has since withdrawn from the 200m due to the injury, joining Gabby Thomas, who announced before the global showpiece that she will not be running because she was injured.