AMID THE BALLYHOO over the women’s 100 final anchoring the first full day of competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, one voice was notably absent: Julien Alfred’s.
That’s because the reigning Olympic 100 champion from St. Lucia and her team are not on board with the women running three rounds of the 100 on the same day — four if an athlete from the preliminary round advances all the way to the final.
Alfred’s agent, Henry Rolle, sent a letter to World Athletics on Friday outlining their concerns.
“While early visibility may be presented as a benefit, visibility without fairness does not constitute progress,” Rolle wrote, adding that is why Alfred “will not be offering a favorable comment” regarding the schedule.
“Given the continued pattern of inadequate recovery windows, secondary consideration of women’s event structure, and unequal conditions compared to male athletes,” Rolle added, “we cannot in good conscience contribute to a media narrative praising the current schedule. To do so would misrepresent the lived reality of the athletes and endorse inequity under the guise of promotion.”
Alfred was not immediately available for comment.
In lieu of the reigning champ, World Athletics trotted out Sha’Carri Richardson, the 2023 World Championships gold medalist in the 100 and Paris silver medalist, and Dina Asher-Smith, also a world and Olympic medalist, to compliment the schedule.
“Track and field is having its moment, and the road to LA28 is about to be something special, especially for the women’s sprints.” Richardson said in a news release.
Asher-Smith added, “It will be an honor for the women’s 100m to open the LA Games. It’s such an exciting opportunity — celebrating enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic Track and Field. Can’t wait to set the tone for what will be a thrilling and spectacular Games.”
However, Rolle said in his letter that this Olympic innovation is a step back for women sprinters.
“Across multiple Olympic cycles, the scheduling of women’s short sprint events has repeatedly placed female athletes at a competitive and physiological disadvantage,” he wrote. “The most recent Summer Olympics made this unmistakably clear: The women’s 200m first round occurred less than 12 hours after the women’s 100m final.
“For Julien and others, mandatory post-final procedures such as anti-doping control, mixed zone obligations, and media requirements which resulted in returning well after 3:00 a.m. and rising only hours later to prepare for the next event.”
Alfred eventually won the silver medal in Paris behind Gabby Thomas of the U.S., who did not compete in the 100.
Rolle said that no comparable demands will be placed on the male sprinters in Los Angeles. The men in the 100 will run preliminaries and round one (essentially the quarterfinals) immediately after the women in the morning session on July 15, and then run the semifinals and finals in the evening session on July 16.
“As the esteemed coach Stephen Francis has openly stated, he would have no objection to such scheduling if the men were subjected to the same constraints,” Rolle wrote. “They are not. This discrepancy reflects a structural inequity that must be addressed, not justified.”
Janet Evans, the Olympic swimming gold medalist who is Chief Athlete Officer for LA28, said the organizers spoke at length with their athletes’ commission, which includes Allyson Felix and Queen Harrison, as well as the World Athletics’ Athletes Commission.
Although Evans said that running three 100s in one day is “something they do in other international competitions,” it has never happened at the World Championships.
She said the input was mostly positive.
“There was excitement,” Evans said, “and for the few naysayers, the majority of the athletes said to me, ‘Just let me know…. I will start training to run three 100 meters in one day, because it can be done. But I just need to schedule my training…”
Rolle appealed in his letter to new IOC President Kirsty Coventry for help. Rolle was a longtime coach at Auburn University and overlapped with Coventry when she swam for the Tigers.
“Her athletic career was shaped by the Title IX framework, which demanded fairness, equity, and a duty of care for women in sport,” Rolle wrote. “It is my hope that President Coventry will bring these same principles, principles that supported her own success, to the International Olympic Committee and its decision-making processes.”
The full text of Rolle’s letter follows.
Formal Letter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2025
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to publicly clarify why Julien Alfred will not be offering a favorable comment regarding the recently announced LA28 track and field schedule, particularly the placement of the women’s 100m on day one. While early visibility may be presented as a benefit, visibility without fairness does not constitute progress.
Persistent Scheduling Inequities Affecting Women Sprinters
Across multiple Olympic cycles, the scheduling of women’s short sprint events has repeatedly placed female athletes at a competitive and physiological disadvantage. The most recent Summer Olympics made this unmistakably clear: the women’s 200m first round occurred less than 12 hours after the women’s 100m final. For Julien and others, mandatory post-final procedures such as anti-doping control, mixed zone obligations, and media requirements which resulted in returning well after 3:00 a.m. and rising only hours later to prepare for the next event.
No comparable demands were placed on the men.
As the esteemed coach Stephen Francis has openly stated, he would have no objection to such scheduling if the men were subjected to the same constraints. They are not. This discrepancy reflects a structural inequity that must be addressed, not justified.
A Broader Pattern of Unfairness in Women’s Sport
These issues extend beyond the track. We have also witnessed deeply concerning inequities in women’s boxing, where female athletes have been placed at clear disadvantages—raising serious questions about governance, safety, and competitive legitimacy. Women athletes should not have to
navigate systems that treat them as secondary considerations.
Experience and Context
My perspective is grounded in two decades of coaching at the highest collegiate level. I spent 20 years coaching at Auburn University, primarily coaching women, and won an NCAA championship in Athletics during the same era that the newly elected IOC President, Christy Coventry, competed as a collegiate swimmer. Her athletic career was shaped by the Title IX framework, which demanded fairness, equity, and a duty of care for women in sport.
It is my hope that President Coventry will bring these same principles, principles that supported her own success to the International Olympic Committee and its decision-making processes.
Why We Cannot Participate in This Narrative
Given the continued pattern of inadequate recovery windows, secondary consideration of women’s event structure, and unequal conditions compared to male athletes, we cannot in good conscience contribute to a media narrative praising the current schedule.
To do so would misrepresent the lived reality of the athletes and endorse inequity under the guise of promotion.
A Commitment to Speaking Openly
For these reasons, Julien will not be providing a favorable comment for the LA28 announcement. We are, however, engaging with media outlets in France and the United Kingdom to address these concerns more widely and advocate for meaningful systemic
change.
Women athletes deserve equal conditions, equal protection, and equal respect. Anything less is unacceptable.
Thanks,
Henry Rolle
Agent for Julien Alfred
