Julien Alfred endures grueling training under Coach Floreal, building strength and resilience, leading to major victories and redefining sprinting success.
Reigning Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred has been put through the wringer this season under the intense training regime crafted by Texas Longhorns coach Edrick Floreal.
The 23-year-old Saint Lucian sprint sensation has been pushed far outside her comfort zone — and it’s already paying off.
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Despite enduring brutal training sessions and stepping into longer, grueling races unfamiliar to her primary skillset, Alfred has kept her faith in the process.
“Even though it hurts a lot, I trust him and what he has for me,” Alfred shared as per Essentially Sports.
Floreal’s methods have seen Alfred compete in distances many thought were too demanding for a pure sprinter.
Starting her season with a bang, Alfred shattered the national record in the 300m Short Track at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston with a blazing 36.16 seconds.
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Just days later, she smashed another record, clocking 52.97 seconds in the 400m Short Track at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.
The highlight so far? Beating five-time Olympic gold medalist Shericka Jackson at the 2025 Miramar Invitational 300m race, with a stunning 36.05-second run compared to Jackson’s 36.24.
American sprinting legend Justin Gatlin recently defended Floreal’s controversial approach on the Ready Set Go podcast.
“I love what Coach Flo is putting together for her,” Gatlin said.
“[She’s] working up volume and…coming down and using the professional ranks. You do a lot of volume and you shroud it in secret. You do it in practice, right? And then you start coming down and then you go into your respectable discipline…of a 200 or 100.”
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For Gatlin, watching short sprinters like Alfred and Dina Asher-Smith take on 300m and 400m races multiple times a season isn’t just a gamble—it’s a smart evolution.
“You can see the progression, you can see the strength and you see the speed start to come into effect,” he added.
Indeed, Julien Alfred’s growth has been remarkable and her breakthrough did not just happen by chance. It was fueled by heartbreak too—specifically her emotional fourth-place finish at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.
“I have to give thanks to my coach. I think he is my spine and my rock. He has been with me through the highs and the lows. After Worlds last year, I cried on his shoulder so much, and I just want to thank him for this, having my back throughout and the times where I felt like giving up on myself,” she said.
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Alfred’s focus stayed on the people who carried her through the storms.
“I really wanted it for myself and am also so happy to have such an amazing group around me, most importantly, my coach is everything to me, and I would not be here without him,” she said.
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