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Is Julien Alfred’s Successor Already Here?
Mar 31, 2025 | Edition #108
👋 Hey, Speedsters!
This weekend, all roads led to Texas for the legendary Texas Relays 2025—and wow, did it deliver! A teenage sensation just shattered an Olympic champion’s national record, while four international Olympians stormed in and dethroned the American relay queens on their own turf. Talk about an upset! Buckle up—this weekend was wild!
📈 Trending News
New Name, New Record, Julien Alfred's New Rival!
We might just have a brand-new fastest woman in Saint Lucia, folks! Let’s rewind to Saturday at the Texas Relays, 100m Invitational Section 1, a national record fell—and fast! Enter Naomi London.
Lining up in lane 6, the 18-year-old blasted out of the blocks like a rocket. A few seconds later? 11.23 on the clock. Just like that, Julien Alfred’s U20 Saint Lucian record from 2019 was wiped clean off the books. After 6 years, there’s a new name on top. London is now officially the fastest junior woman in the nation. And don’t just take our word for it. Watch the replay and see London fly to the finish!
Now, let’s not ignore the fine print. The 1.9 m/s tailwind. Sure, it gave her a nudge. But the bigger headline? London is now the second-fastest U20 sprinter in the world this year. And it’s still March.
But here’s where things get downright spooky. London’s career path? It’s starting to look like a carbon copy of Alfred’s. Julien went to Texas, London’s packing her bags too. Julien trained under Edrick Floreal alongside Dina Asher-Smith. Guess who’s got the same coach? Yep—London. Déjà vu, much?
Now, let’s be real. 11.23 is a long way from Alfred’s blistering 10.72 PB. Right now, London’s still climbing the mountain. But if she keeps this up… Julien Alfred might just feel a little heat at her back.
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🌟 Track Stories
Team USA Thought They Had It… Until They Didn’t!
Well, well, well… It looks like Team USA just got served a reality check. If you’ve been keeping up, you know the U.S. has been untouchable in relays. But this time, a group of international stars decided they weren’t having any of that! The women’s 4x400m invitational relay was a who’s who of sprint royalty, but two teams stole the show.
Team International: Rhasidat Adeleke (Ireland), Dina Asher-Smith (GB), Julien Alfred (St. Lucia), and Ackelia Smith (Jamaica)
Team USA Red: Jan Tajah Jones, Gabby Thomas, Ziya Holman, and Jessica Wright
The race kicked off with Ackelia Smith blazing the opening leg for Team International. But the real showdown? Dina Asher-Smith vs. Gabby Thomas in leg two—an electrifying sprint that kept both squads neck and neck. By the halfway mark, Team USA held the edge (1:42.09), with International trailing at 1:43.03.
Then came Julien Alfred, doing what Olympic champs do best—closing the gap. But the Americans still had control, until the anchor leg changed everything. Jessica Wright’s 52.53s split just couldn’t hold up against Rhasidat Adeleke’s monster 50.78s. You could feel the shift. That was the dagger! Watch the nail-biting relay contest here!
And with that, in the blink of an eye, Team International won in 3:25.20, breaking a 21-year-old facility record! Empire Athletics followed. And Team USA Red settled with a third. Déjà vu, anyone?
Team International pulled the same stunt last year, with just one small lineup tweak (Lanae-Tava Thomas in for Ackelia Smith). Back then, they walked away with gold. This time? They made a statement.
📊 POLL OF THE DAY
Who Had the Fastest 100m Time (Men) in 2024 Outdoors? |
Last Poll Result: We asked, “Do you think Sabrina Dockery’s DQ was justified?”—and the verdict is in! 42% said, “Yes, it was a no-brainer,” backing the call without hesitation. Meanwhile, 30% felt it was unfair, believing she deserved another shot. The remaining 28% weren’t sure, needing more details on the drama-filled appeal. With Dockery’s resilience, this might just be another chapter in her comeback story!
🏅Beyond the Medals
LSU WR Just Set the Track on Fire!
We’ve seen it before, and we’ll see it again—football stars trading cleats for spikes and leaving track fans speechless. But Jelani Watkins? Oh, he just cranked the heat up to another level. It all went down Saturday at the Battle on the Bayou.
The men’s 100m heats were winding down when Watkins, an LSU wide receiver, lined up at the start. No pads, no helmet—just raw speed. And then—boom! Watkins exploded off the blocks and flew through the finish in 10.01s (.001). The only catch? A +2.1 m/s wind reading, just over the legal limit. But let’s not kid ourselves. This wasn’t luck. Watkins torched the field, finishing just .004 seconds behind NCAA sprint star Eddie Nketia. Watch his stunning season opening race here!
What’s crazy is that he’s tied for the fastest time in the NCAA this season and sits at #1 in the SEC. But what’s crazier? Had the wind played nice, Watkins’ time would’ve been #2 in the world this season. That’s right. Above Fred Kerley. Above Ackeem Blake. Above Gout Gout. Let THAT sink in.
And yet… should we even be surprised? Football players invading the track isn’t new. Nketia himself played football. So did Maurice Gleaton, a high schooler who just clocked his own 10.01s last month. Jeremiah Smith is juggling both sports in 2025. And don’t even get us started on legends like Bob Hayes and Devon Allen, who made track and football fans drool over their speed. So, is this the start of a new trend in track? You decide!
That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories!
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