Justin Gatlin Explains Why Sha’Carri Richardson and Rivals May Struggle to Beat Julien Alfred

might have sent a message to her rivals — including Olympic silver medalist — and sprinting legend believes the answer to that message is simple: nobody’s stopping her.

Alfred stunned the field at the Miramar Invitational in Florida earlier this month, tearing through the 300 meters in a blistering 36.05 seconds. It wasn’t just the time that raised eyebrows — it was the names she beat doing it.

, the reigning 200m world champion, led the race around the bend but couldn’t hold off Alfred’s finishing speed, settling for second in 36.13 seconds. Ivory Coast’s Jessika Gbai rounded out the podium in 36.24.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest from Pulse Sports.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine clocked a world leading time to edge out Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.

“Crazy. And on top of that, you didn’t see Julien coming,” Gatlin said on his Ready Set Go podcast. “I mean, sure, we’ve known the past two years she’s been running 4x4s at Texas Relays, so we knew she was capable of running a 300 competitively — but to drop a 36.05? That’s wild. That’s crazy work.”

Gatlin, a former Olympic 100m champion, believes that this performance — especially coming this early in the season — is a scary signal for the rest of the sprinting world. And according to him, Alfred’s progress is no accident.

He credits much of her transformation into a sprint juggernaut to her coach, Edrick Floreal, widely known as Coach Flo.

“Speaking a little bit with Flo, I understand what he’s trying to do with Julien. He’s shaping her into a dominant double threat,” Gatlin said. 

Kenya U20 squad set for AFCON in Egypt after Morocco camp aiming for World Cup spot with strong local lineup.

“To do that, you start high and gradually work your way down. You run those 4x4s, then drop to the 300 to gauge where you’re at in terms of raw speed and endurance.

«From there, you dip into the 200, and suddenly the 200 becomes easy. Now she’s dropping 21s across the board.”

The strategy, Gatlin says, is all about building a sprint weapon that’s as deadly in the 100 as she is over 200 meters.

“And when you’ve got superior foot speed in the 200, plus the fast-twitch muscle control and race strategy for the 100 — who’s going to stop you?”

Jonah Ayunga made two important goal contributions to ensure St. Mirren sailed to a 3-2 win to secure a top six finish in Scotland.

While much of the spotlight was on Alfred, Gatlin also made sure to give Shericka Jackson her flowers. Despite finishing second, the Jamaican showed strong form — and Gatlin thinks it’s just the beginning.

“Shout out to Shericka too. She’s definitely coming into form. After the kind of season she had last year, to bounce back stronger and run a 36.13? Like I said, it’s a long season, but she’s coming back. That’s good form right there.”

Alfred herself was pleased with her performance, telling , “Going forward, I am just going to keep on working hard and trust myself.”

With such dominating early-season form and a finely tuned training system behind her, Julien Alfred is quickly becoming the sprinter to beat in 2025 — and if Gatlin’s prediction is anything to go by, her rise has only just begun.