Julien Alfred admitted she was “a little rusty” in her season opener, but that didn’t stop the St Lucian sprint star from cruising to an impressive win in the women’s 100m at the Bislett Games Diamond League in Oslo on Thursday — capping a whirlwind week that included celebrating her 24th birthday and finally meeting her childhood hero, Usain Bolt.
Alfred, the reigning Olympic 100m champion, powered to a world-class 10.89s into a slight headwind, holding off Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, who clocked a season’s best 11.00 for second. Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith finished third in 11.08.
“It was my first race of the season so I was a little rusty but I got the win under my belt which is the main thing,” Alfred said post-race. “And I got to meet Usain Bolt – yesterday for the first time ever and then two days running I got to meet him again! It is a great honour to have met him.”
Looking ahead to her next stop in Stockholm, she added, “I just wanted to be competitive. I head to Stockholm now so I have to rest and travel and compete again quickly but I will go to win again. As for my season, I am Olympic champion so I am the one to beat but I really want to add World Champion to my name as well.”
In the men’s triple jump, Jamaica’s Jordan Scott continued his breakout 2025 campaign by soaring to a lifetime best of 17.34m (+1.1 m/s) to take top honours ahead of Olympic and world champion Pedro Pichardo of Portugal (17.06m). The 27-year-old Scott, who jumped 17.27m in Xiamen earlier this year, now firmly places himself among the contenders for a medal in Tokyo.
On the women’s side, Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts finished second in the triple jump with a late effort of 14.57m. Cuba’s Leyanis Pérez Hernández won with a leap of 14.72m, while American Jasmine Moore was third (14.41m). Olympic champion Thea LaFond-Gadson of Dominica placed fifth at 14.26m, just ahead of Jamaica’s Ackelia Smith who was sixth with a best jump of 14.26m as well, but on countback.
Ricketts, a world silver medallist, said afterwards, “I certainly left it late today but I got there in the end and I’d had a couple of good jumps in the mix. The wind was very mixed today, moving around quite a lot. I am back to Jamaica now for our national championships, then a couple more Diamond Leagues before the World Champs. The season has started quite well for me so I need to just keep jumping well and I will be confident for Tokyo.”
There was another strong showing from the Caribbean in the women’s 400m as Barbados’ Sada Williams dipped under 51 seconds for the first time this season, clocking 50.94 for eighth in a fast field. American Isabella Whittaker claimed victory in a personal best 49.58 ahead of Norway’s Henriette Jæger, who set a national record of 49.62, while Great Britain’s Amber Anning was third in a season’s best 50.24. Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland (50.42), Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands (50.64), Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka (50.67), and Spain’s Paula Sevilla (50.92 PB) completed the field.
In a historic moment, Norwegian star Karsten Warholm brought the crowd to its feet with a world record in the rarely-run men’s 300m hurdles. The two-time world 400m hurdles champion stopped the clock at a stunning 32.67 seconds, smashing the previous world best and holding off fierce challenges from American Rai Benjamin (33.22 PB) and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (33.38).
Warholm’s performance added a fitting crescendo to a meet filled with personal bests, national records, and Olympic-level intensity — setting the stage for a thrilling buildup to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.