Jefferson-Wooden Wins Women’s 100m World Title for America

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, a sprinter from the U.S., won the women’s 100-meter world title on Saturday, with a time that broke the previous championship record.

At the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a blistering 10.61 seconds, a time that ranks as the fourth fastest in history, getting a quick start and maintaining her lead throughout the race, finishing well ahead of her competitors.

She eventually finished 0.15 seconds ahead of Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, the second-biggest winning margin in championship history, and 0.23 seconds ahead of Olympic champion Julien Alfred.

“It was not easy, it looked that way, but it wasn’t,” the 24-year-old told the BBC afterwards. “A lot of preparation, a lot of hard work, a lot of staying grounded in who I am and trusting in my abilities, relying on my faith, my coaches, my village. At the end of the day, keeping the main thing the main thing, and that is to focus on my execution.”

“I felt myself get out (ahead),” she added. “Then I blacked out after that. I was just thinking ‘, get to the line, get to the line, get to the line.’”

“And then I crossed the line, and I was trying to look at what time I ran,” she continued. “And then I finally saw my time and it hit me, ‘Oh my gosh, I won, oh my gosh, I ran 10.61!’”

Although this was Jefferson-Wooden’s first major title, she has confirmed her status as the current dominant women’s sprinter at race after race, going undefeated so far this season.

Now, she is turning her attention to the 200 meters as she seeks to become just the second woman in 30 years to win both events at a single world championship.