Two of sprinting’s biggest rising stars, 2024 Paris Olympic champions Julien Alfred and Gabrielle Thomas, are gearing up for a highly anticipated 200-meter showdown at this week’s Monaco Diamond League, approaching the 2025 track season with a new, intentional priority: balancing elite athletic competition with meaningful personal time.
The pair made global history at the 2024 Paris Games, where American sprinter Thomas claimed 200m gold, while Alfred delivered St. Lucia’s first ever Olympic medal of any type by taking top spot in the women’s 100m. Now, they are set to face off in one of the most competitive fields of the 2025 Diamond League circuit.
For Thomas, Friday’s race marks her first Diamond League start in two years, following a season-ending achilles injury that sidelined her in 2024. Despite the extended break from top-tier Diamond League competition, she has already proven her elite form this year: last month in Texas, she clocked a blistering 21.70 seconds in the 200m, a time that briefly held the world lead and currently ranks as the second-fastest mark globally in 2025.
She will face stiff competition in Monaco, including current world leader Adaejah Hodge, fellow American sprinter Anavia Battle, and Alfred, who has remained undefeated in all outdoor races so far this season. Both sprinters have framed the high-stakes race as an opportunity to push each other to new personal bests.
“It’s a great field with amazing competitors so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can bring out of each other,” Thomas told reporters ahead of the race. Alfred echoed that excitement, saying, “Gabby’s a big competitor so I’m just looking forward to having a race.” The St. Lucia native also confirmed she will skip the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this July to maintain her balanced schedule.
Unlike previous years packed with championship or Olympic preparations, 2025 is a rare offseason for elite track and field, with no Olympic Games or standard world championships on the calendar. World Athletics will launch its new biennial invitational Ultimate World Championship in Budapest this September to cap the season, but the reduced pressure has opened up new space for athletes to prioritize personal commitments that often fall by the wayside during intense training cycles.
For Alfred, that means regular trips home to St. Lucia to connect with loved ones. The 25-year-old said she has relished the chance to prioritize relationships alongside her training. “I’ve been going back to St Lucia every month. I’m happy to find a balance between life and sport, seeing a lot more of my family and friends,” she explained. “Sometimes I tend to be so focused on just competing and winning all the time. Winning is always fun, but winning can’t be the end and be all of your life. While we do love to compete, and we’re both very competitive, we are also full people outside of the sport.”
Thomas is also taking advantage of the less demanding 2025 schedule to check off a major personal milestone: she is currently planning her wedding for this year. “I actually have my wedding plan for this year because it’s an off season, and I’m having so much fun planning my wedding,” the 29-year-old said. “I’m centering other aspects of my life, and just taking time to see my friends. I’ve made multiple trips to see my family. Normally, in every other year, you feel guilty for taking trips to visit your mom and dad, showing up for your friends.”
She added that many casual sports fans do not grasp the extent of personal sacrifices elite athletes make to compete at the highest level. “This is a time that we get to enjoy life like that, and we foster these relationships, and we get to add it to our potential support while also still being on the circuit and still always running,” she said.
Looking ahead to Friday’s sold-out race at Stade Louis II, Thomas said her status as Olympic champion has not changed her core approach to competition. “I try to focus on the same, despite the fact that the expectations get higher,” she said. “The goal is to win. The goal is to come out and put your best foot forward, no pun intended, and just do what it takes to win the race. You take it race by race, and hopefully, I compete well to the best of my abilities, and I finish the race healthy. And of course, just have a good time and push myself!”