CHORZÓW, POLAND, August 23 — Melissa Jefferson-Wooden hasn’t had many century outings in ‘26 but every time the ’25 WC winner has heard the gun she has reached the line ahead of the rest.
Her sparkling 10.78 at the Skolimowska Memorial — where she ran 10.66 to win 12 months ago — made it 4-for-4 for the year. Almost as important as the classy time, she held onto the bragging rights as she left regular rivals Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson trailing in her wake.
Alfred recovered from a sluggish start and was up on the shoulder of Jefferson-Wooden at the halfway point before the latter eased ahead. Alfred took 2nd in 10.83 while Richardson couldn’t stay with the leading pair over the second 50 and had to settle for 3rd in 10.96.
Jefferson-Wooden commented, “It was a good day. It was a little cool today, so I cannot complain about having run a 10.7 and equaling my season best.
“Julien pushed me, but before the race my coach told me to just control the race and focus on my own lane. I did that, I did not panic, and I think I did a good job. That is what I generally try to do and most of the time when I do it, it brings results. It is all about execution,” she added.
Jefferson-Wooden plans just two more 100s this summer: the DL final in Brussels and then the Ultimate Championships in Budapest.
Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma had erstwhile been thought of purely as an 800 exponent, having taken the ’24 World Indoor title and ’24 OG silver. She owns a 1:56.64 NR from last year, but she has made a major move up to the 1500 this year and showed her immense and still untapped potential with a world-leading 3:55.06.
In only her fourth-ever competitive outing over the longer distance, she was 5th coming into the homestraight but then turned on the afterburners and swept past all the women in front of her, including leader Jessica Hull, going past the Australian 10m before the line.
Behind Duguma, Hull was 2nd in 3:55.20 and Kenya’s Dorcus Ewoi 3rd in 3:55.58. Local star Klaudia Kazimierska, who took the race by the scruff of the neck after the pacemakers had departed, got arguably the biggest cheers when coming home in 4th in a big Polish NR and European lead of 3:55.59. For the first time ever in any meet, the top 8 all broke 3:57.
The 400 also produced great depth with 7 women breaking 50.
The Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino continued her unbeaten season, which includes 7 outings over one lap as she powered to victory in 48.87, her sixth sub-49 performance in ’26.
In a distant battle for 2nd, Jamaican Arkansas alum Nickisha Pryce followed Paulino home with 49.49 while Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser and Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka were closely matched in 3rd and 4th with 49.57 and 49.60.
The women’s TJ sometimes flies under the radar with track fans but Senegal’s Saly Sarr became the 33rd woman in history to jump 15m (49-2½) or better when she bounded out to 49-5¾ (an NR 15.08) in the third stanza, beating all three other women who have jumped over 15m in ’26.
Cubans Leyanis Pérez Hernandez and Davisleydis Velazco were 2nd and 3rd with 48-11 (14.91) and 48-8¼ (14.84). Dominica’s ’24 Olympic champion and ’26 world leader Thea LaFond was down in 4th with 47-10 (14.58).
WR-holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh led a Ukrainian 1-2 as the only high jumper to go over 6-6¾ (2.00). Compatriot Iryna Gerashchenko took 2nd at 6-6 (1.98) while Australia’s Eleanor Patterson also cleared the same height but finished 3rd on fewer misses.
Canada’s reigning OG and WC champion Camryn Rogers — who was also a 3-time NCAA winner while a Cal Golden Bear — took the hammer win with 254-11 (77.09). Behind her ’19 WC gold medalist DeAnna Price bounced back for 2nd at 246-10 (75.23) in her first meet since her USATF Champs disaster, when she failed to register a mark.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti has been flying the flag for European women’s distance runners in the last few years and flew it here also. The recently-crowned 5K and 10K double Euro champion — repeating her feat from Rome 2 years ago — took her first-ever DL victory, producing a 58.7 last lap to win in 14:54.09.
The day before the main action, the Katowice Market Square hosted several field events.
Chase Jackson continued her pursuit of an elusive 21-meter throw but came close with a season’s best of 68-7¾ (20.92) in the second round, the third-best meet of her career and just 3cm shy of her American Record.
Jackson also had two other efforts in excess of ‘25 world champion Jessica Schilder, who was 2nd with 66-4¼ (20.22).
A slightly bleary-eyed Jackson said, “I had some travel woes coming here. Flights were delayed and I did not get any sleep. But my training has been going very well and even with all of that I am able to throw well.
“I always want more, but I am very pleased with the distance I did. I have two more competitions to come this year, Berlin and the Diamond League final. I hope to be more rested there. It is a little frustrating that I keep coming so close to 21m, but never actually get there. Maybe it will finally happen.”
In her overseas international debut, NCAA long jump winner Alyssa Jones showed little sign of jet leg. She appeared not to be overly in awe of her rivals when she triumphed with a last round 22-10¾ (6.98), moving up from 3rd to 1st and winning on the countback from Portugal’s ’26 World Indoor winner Agate De Sousa.
The delighted Stanford alum said, “I knew I could do well here, since my training has been going well. I did not quite expect to win. Before my last attempt I just felt relaxed, I felt I had nothing to lose and that allowed me to go for it. The elevated runway here was awesome. I am used to jumping on them indoors and I love it.”
CHORZÓW WOMEN’S RESULTS
100(0.6): 1. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (US) 10.78; 2. Julien Alfred (StL) 10.83; 3. Sha’Carri Richardson (US) 10.96; 4. Brianna Lyston (Jam) 10.96; 5. Ewa Swoboda (Pol) 11.00; 6. Tina Clayton (Jam) 11.01; 7. Zoe Hobbs (NZ) 11.05; 8. Kayla White (US) 11.11.
400: 1. Marileidy Paulino (DR) 48.87; 2. Nickisha Pryce (Jam) 49.49; 3. Salwa Eid Naser (Bhr) 49.57; 4. Natalia Bukowiecka (Pol) 49.60; 5. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 49.71; 6. Stacey-Ann Williams (Jam) 49.81; 7. Henriette Jæger (Nor) 49.85; 8. Aaliyah Butler (US) 50.38.
1500: 1. Tsige Duguma (Eth) 3:55.06 PR (WL);
2. Jessica Hull (Aus) 3:55.20; 3. Dorcus Ewoi (Ken) 3:55.58; 4. Klaudia Kazimierska (Pol) 3:55.59 NR;
5. Emily Mackay (US) 3:56.24 (x, 10 A);
6. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 3:56.34; 7. Sarah Billings (Aus) 3:56.73 PR; 8. Birke Haylom (Eth) 3:56.76; 9. Sarah Healy (Ire) 3:57.42; 10. Nikki Hiltz (US) 4:00.52;… 15. Sinclaire Johnson (US) 4:04.93;… rabbit—Taryn Parks (US) (61.03, 64.46 [2:05.49].
(best-ever mark-for-place: 8-9)
5000: 1. Nadia Battocletti (Ita) 14:54.09; 2. Freweyni Hailu (Eth) 14:54.62; 3. Rose Davies (Aus) 14:55.39; 4. Marta Alemayo (Eth) 14:55.46; 5. Aleshign Baweke (Eth) 14:55.49; 6. Senayet Getachew (Eth) 14:55.51; 7. Fantaye Belayneh (Eth) 14:55.97; 8. Likina Amebaw (Eth) 14:56.42;… 18. Alicia Monson (US) 15:03.46.
Non-DL 100H(0.2): 1. Alaysha Johnson (US) 12.52; 2. Megan Simmonds (Jam) 12.62; 3. Pia Skrzyszowska (Pol) 12.64; 4. Ackera Nugent (Jam) 12.64; 5. Danielle Williams (Jam) 12.70; 6. Rayniah Jones (US) 12.75;… 9. Keni Harrison (US) 13.15.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-6¾ (2.00) (missed 6-7½/2.02); 2. Iryna Gerashchenko (Ukr) 6-6 (1.98); 3. Eleanor Patterson (Aus) 6-6; 4. Nicola Olyslagers (Aus) 6-5 (1.96); 5. Angelina Topić (Ser) 6-5; 6. tie, Louise Ekman (Swe) & Marija Vuković (Mont) 6-4 (1.93); 8. Maria Żodzik (Pol) 6-4;…11. Vashti Cunningham (US) 6-2¼ (1.89).
LJ(town square): 1. Alyssa Jones (US) 22-10¾ (6.98) (21-2½, 22-3¾, 22-1¾, 22-5¾, 21-2, 22-10¾) (6.46, 6.80, 6.75, 6.85, 6.45, 6.98); 2. Agate De Sousa (Por) 22-10¾ (6.98) (21-11½, 22-10¾, f, 21-10¾, f, 22-4¼) (6.69, 6.98, f, 6.67, f, 6.81); 3. Monae’ Nichols (US) 22-9¾ (6.95) (f, 22-4½, 22-4½, f, 22-9¾, f) (f, 6.82, 6.82, f, 6.95, f); 4. Jazmin Sawyers (GB) 22-5¼ (6.84); 5. Maja Åskag (Swe) 21-10¼ (6.66); 6. Marthe Yasmine Koala (Bur) 21-9½ (6.64); 7. Malaika Mihambo (Ger) 21-8 (6.60); 8. Claire Bryant (US) 21-5¼ (6.53).
TJ: 1. Saly Sarr (Sen) 49-5¾ (15.08) NR (f, 48-10¼, 49-5¾, f, 48-4¾, 49-2½) (f, 14.89, 15.08, f, 14.75, 15.00); 2. Leyanis Pérez (Cub) 48-11 (14.91); 3. Davisleidis L. Velazco (Cub) 48-8¼ (14.84); 4. Thea LaFond (Dom) 47-10 (14.58); 5. Dariya Derkach (Ita) 47-¼ (14.33); 6. Liadagmis Povea (Cub) 46-6¼ (14.18).
SP(town square): 1. Chase Jackson (US) 68-7¾ (20.92) (AL) (x, 3 A) (63-11¾, 68-7¾, 67-5½, f, f, 66-7) (19.50, 20.92, 20.56, f, f, 20.29);
2. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 66-3¼ (20.20); 3. Sarah Mitton (Can) 63-5½ (19.34); 4. Adelaide Browley (US) 61-2¼ (18.65); 5. Fanny Roos (Swe) 61-0 (18.59); 6. Auriol Dongmo (Por) 60-11½ (18.58); 7. Jessica Inchude (Por) 60-11¼ (18.57).
Non-DL HT: 1. Camryn Rogers (Can) 252-11 (77.09); 2. DeAnna Price (US) 246-10 (75.23); 3. Sara Fantini (Ita) 236-0 (71.95); 4. Annette Echikunwoke (US) 233-2 (71.08).
