IT TURNS OUT that Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s historic ascension was a math problem to be solved:
100 plus 200 (meters), minus Culver’s (a fast food chain, not a mathematical constant) and social media scrolling, equals 2 — as in two national titles.
Now it’s on to the next test.
“I want to be the greatest to ever do it,” she asserts.
In Eugene Jefferson-Wooden won the 100 in 10.65 to tie for No. 5 on the all-time list (No. 3 American). Then she won her first national title at 200, clocking 21.84.
Not since Torri Edwards in ’03 had a woman won that sprint double at nationals.
After the 100, Jefferson-Wooden said, “I’ve been dreaming of days like this. And it’s finally starting to come true. Right now, the sky’s the limit. We’re just going to keep working toward bigger and better things.”
She heads to the WC as Julien Alfred’s top adversary. The two 24-year-olds are the fastest women of ’25 at both 100 and 200.
Jefferson-Wooden’s rise has been both meteoric and incremental.
As a South Carolina high schooler, she never broke 12 seconds in the 100. She transformed into a collegiate star at Coastal Carolina, winning an NCAA indoor 60 in ’22 and going on to take a USATF title in the 100. She was 8th in the WC, held in Eugene that year.
“When I won in ’22, I felt like I was just riding on a high,” Jefferson-Wooden said. “Me, breaking out, coming up on people’s radar. Like, ‘Who is Melissa Jefferson?’ I feel like this time around, I’ve grown so much in these last three years. I’ve made changes, and I’ve made sacrifices.
“Being the U.S. champion today, even though I still hold 2022 really near and dear to my heart, being in this moment right now, just makes me happy that I didn’t lose sight of what I always wanted to become.”
She said those sacrifices included amending diet — abstaining from the caloric temptations of Culver’s (the chain is famous for its ”Butterburgers”) was a big one — and limiting time spent on social media. Not that she encountered much criticism. After all, she is 11-1 this year, including heats.
“Because as much as I have accomplished, that could also be taken away,” she says. “I just try to stay in my lane, stay in my bubble. Also understanding the difference between being prideful versus being confident in who you are. At the end of the day, God knows your heart.”
As a pro, she came to be coached by Dennis Mitchell because, in a case of serendipity, his wife was on the broadcast team for Sun Belt Conference championships throughout the sprinter’s career. Damu Cherry-Mitchell raved about Jefferson-Wooden to her husband.
At Star Athletics, Jefferson-Wooden developed a close bond with TeeTee Terry. They would binge-watch the TV drama Scandal. Terry even helped arrange for her friend’s then-fiancé, Rolan Wooden, to propose. The couple wed in March, featuring Terry as a bridesmaid and Sha’Carri Richardson, Kenny Bednarek and Christian Coleman in attendance.
At Tokyo, Jefferson-Wooden will be joined in the 100 by Star Athletics teammates Richardson (the defending world champion) and Kayla White. Terry placed 4th at nationals, one spot from making the team.
At the Olympics Jefferson-Wooden won a bronze in the 100, behind Alfred and Richardson, and a gold as leadoff runner on the 4 x 100. Jefferson-Wooden revealed she had missed 2½ months of training before the Games because of a stress fracture in her shin.
“I was very happy for my bronze medal, just because it felt like a gold medal in my eyes, dealing with all I had to,” she said. “It was also being content with that year, closing that chapter.
“And then looking at this year, it’s a brand new year, it’s a brand new Melissa. Let’s see what a healthy Melissa can do.”
As much as anyone, Jefferson-Wooden benefited from the Grand Slam Track series, if not monetarily. She was supposed to earn $300,000 before the series ended prematurely and a deadline passed without payment of prize money.
Yet she emerged as a force in the 200, not just the 100, and was a cumulative 5-1 in races at Kingston, Miramar and Philadelphia. Her GST experience featured a 10.73 at Philly on June 01. Then she ran 10.75 into a headwind (-1.5), beating Olympic champion Alfred, at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5.
Her nationals 10.65 equaled Richardson’s ’23 Worlds time as fastest by an American since Carmelita Jeter’s 10.64 in ’09. The only other names ahead of her on the global all-time list are Florence Griffth Joyner (10.49), Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.60).
“To think of like me being part of that list now is actually kind of crazy,” she says. “But I’m grateful for it. I worked my butt off for it. So I shouldn’t be too surprised. But it’s still, like, ‘Wow!’’’
Jefferson-Wooden’s 21.84 at Nationals elevated her to No. 12 all-time among half-lap Americans.
She says she is a student of the sport, willing to make necessary changes to fulfill her goals. Becoming world champion is not a new goal, she says. It is something she has pondered since that ’22 breakout.
“The hard part is over in making the team,” she assesses. “So now it’s just about going out there and focusing in on who I need to be, which is Melissa at the end of the day. Focus on me and my lane, and do what I’m supposed to do.”
