USA’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, unbeaten all season in the women’s 100m, turned her dominance into a golden moment at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday (14), sprinting to her first individual global crown.
The 24-year-old sprint sensation clocked a championship record of 10.61 seconds, making her the fourth-fastest woman in history and equalling the fastest ever time at a global championships, a mark shared with Elaine Thompson-Herah’s Olympic record from the same stadium in 2021.
Jefferson-Wooden’s margin of victory, 0.15 seconds, was the second-largest in World Championships history, underlining her superiority in the hot and humid conditions of Tokyo.
Full Results
- Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) – 10.61
- Tina Clayton (JAM) – 10.76 PB
- Julien Alfred (LCA) – 10.84
- Shericka Jackson (JAM) – 10.88
- Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – 10.94 SB
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) – 11.03
- Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) – 11.04
- Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) – 11.08
Jamaica’s rising star Tina Clayton, just 21 years old, chased Jefferson-Wooden home with a blistering personal best of 10.76 to claim silver. Meanwhile, Julien Alfred, St Lucia’s Olympic champion, settled for bronze in 10.84 after pulling her hamstring during the race. Despite the setback, Alfred still delivered a historic moment by securing her country’s first-ever medal at a World Athletics Championships.
The night also carried a symbolic farewell. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 38-year-old Jamaican legend who has won this title five times between 2009 and 2022, finished sixth in 11.03 in what will be her final global 100m appearance. With 10 world golds and two Olympic titles already to her name, she will make one last bid for glory in the 4x100m relay.
Elsewhere, Shericka Jackson placed fourth in 10.88, while defending champion Sha’Carri Richardson clocked a season’s best of 10.94 for fifth after a stuttered semifinal nearly derailed her campaign. Côte d’Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith rounded out the final.
Jefferson-Wooden’s masterclass marked the possible passing of the baton from one Jamaican era to the next American one.
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