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Jefferson-Wooden did finish third at the Paris Olympics. But this year she has taken a big step forward. She won all eight of the 800 metres she ran this year. Her time of 10.65 at the American trials in Eugene being an outlier. No one ran faster in 2025.
“The big difference with last year? Discipline,” says Jefferson-Wooden resolutely. “I don’t want to have any regrets, and I want to give it my all.” That translates into training hard and having a strong mindset. Every detail counts. “I also consider myself lucky to have remained injury-free. That was a different story in early 2024.”
With the world’s best performance of the year to her name and many other fast times (10.66, 10.73, 10.75, etc.), Jefferson-Wooden is the top favourite at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme on Friday and at the World Championships in Tokyo in September, right? “I don’t see it that way,” laughs the American. “I don’t feel the pressure of being top favourite. Yes, I have the fastest times this year, but I’m “only” the Paris Bronze medallist. I don’t have an Olympic or world title to defend. That’s a lot more pressure.”
Obviously, Jefferson-Wooden does have the ambition to win (many) gold medals, like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Jamaican is a five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic Champion in the 100 metres and will be one of Jefferson-Wooden’s main rivals at the Memorial on Friday and the World Championships next month. “I just ran into her in the hotel restaurant, and she congratulated me on all my fast times this year,” Jefferson-Wooden recalls with a smile. “I thought that was really cool. I just want to be like you,” I told her. She’s been running those times for years.”
There is a lot of mutual respect between them. Jefferson-Wooden also considers it an honour that she recently equalled Fraser-Pryce’s 2022 meeting record (10.66) at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia. For the record, the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meeting record is 10.72, shared by Elaine Thompson-Herah and… Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Will Melissa Jefferson-Wooden join them tomorrow? Or will she knock the golden Jamaican duo off their throne?