By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Jefferson-Wooden Claims Women’s 100m World Title in Record Time
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden produced the best race of her career on Sunday to win the women’s 100 metres world title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 24-year-old American crossed the line in 10.61 seconds, a new championship record and the joint third-fastest time ever recorded over the distance. Her performance confirmed her arrival at the very top of global sprinting after finishing third in last year’s Olympic final.
Jamaican youngster Tina Clayton, a two-time under-20 world champion, pushed hard to challenge Jefferson-Wooden but had to settle for silver in 10.76 seconds. Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, who looked dominant in the semi-finals earlier in the day, was slow out of the blocks and finished with bronze in 10.84 seconds.
For five-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the night marked the end of an era. The 38-year-old Jamaican, wearing her hair in the colours of the national flag, ran her last major individual final but could not keep pace with the younger field, finishing sixth. She left the track to warm applause, her legacy as one of the sport’s greatest sprinters already secure.
Defending champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who only reached the final as one of the fastest losers, never looked in contention and ended the race in fifth place.
The contest reflected a changing of the guard in women’s sprinting. Jefferson-Wooden’s explosive start set her apart from Alfred, who had beaten her to Olympic gold in 2024. This time the American was sharper out of the blocks and never looked back, fending off Clayton’s late surge to seal her first world crown.
After crossing the finish line, Jefferson-Wooden celebrated with the American flag, while Clayton and Alfred accepted their medals with contrasting emotions. Clayton, smiling, took pride in her breakthrough performance, while Alfred walked off the track visibly frustrated, draped in the flag of Saint Lucia.
The result also highlighted Jamaica’s emerging sprint talent through Clayton, even as Fraser-Pryce closes her glittering career, and confirmed Jefferson-Wooden as the new face of women’s sprinting heading into the next Olympic cycle.
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