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Julien Alfred has revealed what cost her gold in the 200 meters at Gabby Thomas' expense after clinching the title in the 100 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Reigning 100-meter Olympic champion Julien Alfred has candidly revealed the tactical error that cost her gold in the 200 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Alfred, who made history by delivering Saint Lucia’s first-ever Olympic gold in the 100 meters, had to settle for silver in the 200 meters, as American sprinter Gabby Thomas surged to victory.
The seven-time NCAA champion for Texas became only the second Longhorn to ever earn an Olympic medal in the 200 meters, joining Juliet Cuthbert, who also secured silver in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
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Alfred’s Olympic debut was also a landmark moment for Texas, as she became the first Longhorn since Sanya Richards-Ross, a double gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics, to earn multiple medals in a single edition of the Games.
Although Alfred appeared content with her silver medal, even smiling and applauding her performance after the race, she has now opened up about the mental and physical challenges she faced leading up to the 200-meter final. In an interview with SportsMax TV, she revealed that fatigue and overthinking played significant roles in her performance.
"I think fatigue and overthinking played a huge part. Going into the final, it was one of the last races, and it was like, 'Let's just get it over with,'" Alfred confessed.
The 100-meter champion explained that exhaustion had taken a toll after her earlier victory, leaving her with minimal rest before the 200-meter competition.
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"I was really tired. Even after the 100, I was so exhausted that I went to bed late and only got about two hours of rest. I drank some coffee, barely warmed up, and my coach was like, 'Let's just qualify for the next round and keep moving.'"
Alfred admitted that her approach to the 200-meter final was different from how she tackled the 100 meters. "When the finals came along, my coach said I didn’t approach it the same way as I did the 100, and that's true. The mentality I had going into the 200 wasn't the same. I was overthinking each phase, and there was a lot happening."
Reflecting on what went wrong, she acknowledged, "I should have just run it all out, and if Gabby caught me, then so be it."
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07:34 - 16.10.2024
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Despite her disappointment in the 200 meters, Alfred’s remarkable Olympic performance has cemented her status as a rising star in the athletics world. In addition to her Olympic success, she also claimed gold in the 60 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Back home in Saint Lucia, Alfred’s Olympic achievements were met with widespread celebration, prompting the government to declare September 27, 2024, as "Julien Alfred Day" in honor of her contributions to the nation.
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