Jefferson-Wooden Blazes to Sprint Double and World Lead as Lyles–Bednarek Rivalry Explodes at USATF Championships
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed a golden weekend at the 2025 USATF National Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Florida, powering to a lifetime best 21.84 seconds to win the women’s 200m on Sunday, as the championships came to an electric conclusion.
Her commanding run capped a dominant double, adding to the world-leading lifetime best 10.65 she produced to win the 100m final on Friday. The performances firmly establish her as the fastest woman in the world this year in the short sprints and set the stage for a much-anticipated showdown with Olympic champion Julien Alfred of St Lucia – who dominated in Paris last year – at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
In the 200m, Jefferson-Wooden burst out of the blocks in lane seven and never looked back, leading from start to finish to hold off Anavia Battle, who clocked a season’s best 22.13, and Olympic triple gold medallist Gabby Thomas, who finished third in 22.20. Thomas, who won three gold medals, including the 200m title at the Paris Olympics last year, didn’t quite look herself in this race, fading slightly in the final metres.
While Jefferson-Wooden’s double was the headline on the women’s side, the men’s 200m served up plenty of drama beyond the blistering times. Reigning world champion Noah Lyles stormed to victory in a world-leading 19.63 seconds, edging Kenny Bednarek, who ran a season’s best 19.67, with Robert Gregory third in a personal best 19.80.
The tension between Lyles and Bednarek boiled over after the finish. Lyles turned toward his rival and appeared to mock him, prompting a visibly annoyed Bednarek to push him as they walked off the track.
In other finals, Dalilah Muhammad claimed the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.65 ahead of Anna Cockrell (52.89) and Jasmine Jones (53.23), while Rai Benjamin was in a class of his own in the men’s event, winning in 46.89. Caleb Dean (48.45) and Christopher Robinson (48.56) rounded out the top three.
Nineteen-year-old Ja’kobe Tharp produced one of the day’s biggest surprises, pulling off an upset in the men’s 110m hurdles to win in a personal best 13.01, edging Cordell Tinch (13.03) and Dylan Beard (13.04).
Photos: World Athletics and FloTrack
