TOKYO HAS BEEN nothing short of a star turn by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who became only the fourth woman to double in the 100 and 200 at the World Championships.
Her success reminded NBC commentator Ato Boldon of Broadway legend Stephanie Mills, who maintained: “You never let the understudy get on.’’
Boldon said Jefferson-Wooden established herself as the understudy with her bronze in the 100 at the Paris Olympics. “But this year she’s the best in her camp, she’s the best in the world,” Boldon said. “She likes that spotlight and that’s why I’m predicting that she is now the woman to beat. Not Julien Alfred, not Sha’Carri Richardson, not the [Clayton] twins from Jamaica, not Gabby Thomas.”
Starting in lane 6 with 2-time defending champion Shericka Jackson in lane 7, Jefferson-Wooden stormed around the curve to quickly make up the stagger on the Jamaican.
She was comfortably in the lead by the straightaway and crossed the finish line in a world-leading 21.68, obliterating her previous PR of 21.84.
“I’ve always fought with the 200,” said MJW, who ran 22.24 in the heats and 22.00 in the semis. “Any time I see anything under 22 seconds, I think, ‘Yes, that was great.’ To see 21.68, it’s like ‘Wow, you’re kind of moving.’ It’s undeniable at that point.
“You can’t even say you don’t run the 200 any more.”
New British sensation Amy Hunt edged Jackson at the line, 22.14–22.18. The U.S. had four finalists for the first time since ’07, with Anavia Battle 4th (22.22), Brittany Brown 6th (22.54) and McKenzie Long 8th (22.78).
Jefferson-Wooden, 24, was the first American to win the 200 since Allyson Felix completed her 3-peat in ’09. She joins Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (’13) and East Germans Katrin Krabbe (’91) and Silke Gladisch (’87) as 100/200 champions.
“That is absolutely crazy!” Jefferson-Wooden said. “Do you know how many American women came before me?”
The former Coastal Carolina star said when she told her coaches she wanted to make the 200 a priority this season, they looked at each other like, “Is she serious?”
“I knew in order to do the things I wanted to do in the 100,” Jefferson-Wooden said, “it was going to be a matter of me stepping outside my comfort zone, pushing not only my mind, but my body to places it’s never been before.”
With Thomas withdrawing prior to Tokyo with an Achilles injury, Alfred pulling out with a hamstring strain and Richardson skipping the 200 at the Trials, the road to victory was less crowded for Jefferson-Wooden.
“As the year went on, it went from, ‘I think I can make the team,’ to ‘I think I can win U.S. Trials,’ to ‘I think I can medal,’ to ‘I think I can win the whole thing,’” she said.
Jackson, who missed the ’24 Olympics due to injury, said she was “really, really heartbroken” after placing 4th in the 100 and was pleased to secure a medal.
“I like winning, but this year I’ve felt like I won,” she said. “I’ve not competed a lot, but the few times that I’ve competed I put together some solid 200s, so I’m happy I’m here and healthy.”
Hunt was thrilled to “finally be a big player in the big game now” and said her mantra at the start was “no fear.”
After she “hit the bend the hardest I ever have in my life,” the Brit knew she was in contention.
“I’m probably one of the fittest on the line,” Hunt said. “If I’m there with 100m to go, I knew it was going to be game over. I just can’t believe I did it.”
WOMEN’S 200 RESULTS
FINAL (September 19; wind –0.1)
1. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (US) 21.68 PR (WL) (8, x W; 4, 6 A)
(11.04/10.64);
2. Amy Hunt (GB) 22.14
(11.30/10.84);
3. Shericka Jackson (Jam) 22.18
(11.13/11.05);
4. Anavia Battle (US) 22.22
(11.29/10.93);
5. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 22.43
(11.14/11.29);
6. Brittany Brown (US) 22.54
(11.30/11.24);
7. Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (CI) 22.62
(11.29/11.33);
8. McKenzie Long (US) 22.78
(11.45/11.33);
… fs—Anthonique Strachan (Bah).
(lanes: 1. Strachan; 2. Long; 3. Brown; 4. Ta Lou-Smith; 5. Hunt; 6. Jefferson-Wooden; 7. Jackson; 8. Battle; 9. Asher-Smith)
(reaction times: 0.147 Asher-Smith, 0.150 Battle, 0.163 Hunt, 0.166 Ta Lou-Smith, 0.169 Jackson, 0.170 Jefferson-Wooden, 0.197 Long, 0.203 Brown [-0.339 Strachan])
HEATS (September 17)
I(0.1)–1. Battle 22.07; 2. Ta Lou-Smith 22.39; 3. Poliníki Emmanouilídou (Gre) 22.92; 4. Shanti Veronica Pereira (SGP) 23.13; 5. Boglárka Takács (Hun) 23.18; 6. Jacqueline Madogo (Can) 23.23; 7. Gabrielle Matthews (Jam) 23.40; 8. Fatouma Conde (Gui) 23.42 NR.
II(-0.3)–1. Jefferson-Wooden 22.24; 2. Thelma Davies (Lbr) 22.76; 3. Jessika Gbai (CI) 22.81; 4. Helene Parisot (Fra) 22.90; 5. Olivia Fotopoulou (Cyp) 22.98; 6. Mia Gross (Aus) 23.24; 7. Jessica-Bianca Wessolly (Ger) 23.33; 8. Maria Alejandra Carmona (Nic) 24.14.
III(-0.2)–1. Long 22.51; 2. Ashanti Moore (Jam) 22.57; 3. Sophia Junk (Ger) 22.81; 4. Julia Henriksson (Swe) 22.86; 5. Beyonce De Freitas (BVI) 23.30; 6. Kristie Edwards (Aus) 23.39; 7. Silva Alinny Akarlet Delgadillo (Bol) 25.13.
IV(0.1)–1. Brown 22.50; 2. Strachan 22.57; 3. Daryll Neita (GB) 22.59; 4. Léonie Pointet (Swi) 23.04; 5. Dalia Kaddari (Ita) 23.11; 6. Leah Bertrand (Tri) 23.33; 7. Nora Lindahl (Swe) 23.35; 8. Yuting Li (Chn) 23.64.
V(0.0)–1. Jackson 22.33; 2. Hunt 22.57; 3. Imke Vervaet (Bel) 22.74; 4. Audrey Leduc (Can) 22.82; 5. Abigail Fuka Ido (Jpn) 22.98; 6. Lorène Dorcas Bazolo (Por) 23.07; 7. Ann Marii Kivikas (Est) 23.14; 8. Gabriela Anahí Suárez (Ecu) 23.50.
VI(0.0)–1. Asher-Smith 22.40; 2. Torrie Lewis (Aus) 22.56 PR; 3. Jael Bestue (Spa) 22.74; 4. Miriam Sanchez (Mex) 23.01; 5. Maboundou Koné (CI) 23.11; 6. Marije van Hunenstijn (Neth) 23.13; 7. Yujie Chen (Chn) 23.26; 8. Vittoria Fontana (Ita) 23.31.
SEMIS (September 18)
I(-0.1)–1. Jackson 21.99; 2. Hunt 22.08 PR; 3. Brown 22.13; 4. Strachan 22.48 [advanced on tie]; 5. Gbai 22.56; 6. Bestue 22.80; 7. Parisot 22.87; 8. Ido 23.15.
II(0.1)–1. Jefferson-Wooden 22.00; 2. Asher-Smith 22.21; 3. Moore 22.51; 4. Lewis 22.69; 5. Junk 22.71; 6. Vervaet 22.79; 7. Henriksson 22.93; 8. Fotopoulou 23.02.
III(-0.3)–1. Battle 22.09; 2. Ta Lou-Smith 22.17; 3. Long 22.48 [advanced on tie]; 4. Neita 22.77; 5. Leduc 22.90; 6. Davies 23.00; 7. Emmanouilídou 23.04; 8. Sanchez 23.12.
