GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — After a year defined by Olympic glory and untimely injury, sprinting sensation Julien Alfred is shifting gears.

The reigning World Indoor 60m champion has set an audacious target for 2026 — to shatter one of athletics’ oldest records.

Alfred, who jointly holds the title of second-fastest woman in history over 60 metres, is to launch her campaign at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York City on February 11.

This marks her highly anticipated return to the short indoor sprint, an event she “really loves” but skipped entirely during the last campaign.

Her mission is clear — to eclipse the 32-year-old world record of 6.92 seconds set by Russia’s Irina Privalova in 1993. Alfred’s personal best stands at a tantalising 6.94, a mere two-hundredths of a second from immortality.

“I’m really looking forward to competing in the 60m again,” Alfred said on the CITIUS MAG Podcast. “It’s [going to be] a fun year for me doing the things that I actually love and enjoy. I’m actually really excited.”

The Saint Lucian star’s 2025 season was a roller coaster. Having focused solely on the outdoor World Championships in Tokyo, she capped her year with a bronze medal in the 100m — the event in which she made history by winning Olympic gold in 2024 — before an injury forced her withdrawal from further competition.

Now, with no major outdoor global championship in 2026, Alfred is seizing the opportunity to chase indoor history. Currently blending vacation with preparation at home in Saint Lucia, she has returned to training since early November, following duties as a tourism ambassador in Europe.

The Millrose Games will provide an immediate blockbuster test. The field includes American rival Aleia Hobbs, who shares Alfred’s 6.94-second best, and the defending Millrose champion Jacious Sears.

Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, a former training partner, adds further elite competition.

Alfred is no stranger to The Armoury track, holding the meet record of 6.99 seconds from 2024. That performance is one of her five career sub-seven-second runs — a tally that pales next to Privalova’s 13, but places her among the event’s legends like Merlene Ottey and Gail Devers.

Her pedigree in the event traces back to her collegiate days at the University of Texas where she became the third-fastest teenager ever, before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended her 2020 season.

St Lucia’s Julien Alfred (left) powers to victory ahead of the United States’ Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (centre) and Jamaica’s Tia Clayton in the women’s 100m final during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)