Melissa Jefferson-Wooden didn’t just win. She dominated. In a showdown that left even Olympic royalty gasping, the U.S. sprint star clocked a personal-best 21.99 seconds at the Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia. She outpaced the Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas in the most dramatic way possible. But while critics and pundits were quick to goad the 2024 Bronze medalist over her achievements, one track legend in particular is bent on dissecting every electric detail of this statement-making run. But what’s the reason?
Well, on the latest episode of his Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin opened up with total admiration for Jefferson’s power-packed sprint. “My initial pick was Gabby,” he confessed, acknowledging the high expectations around Thomas. But what played out on the track, Gatlin says, flipped the entire script. According to him, Jefferson didn’t just win. She implemented a strategy that was razor-sharp and executed with ice-cold precision.
“Melissa had other plans,” Gatlin said, emphasizing how she controlled the race from the jump. He credited her coach, Dennis Mitchell, for masterminding the race plan. A strategy that Gatlin himself once used against LaShawn Merritt. “Dennis did the same strategy with me. He said, to be able to beat LaShawn, you have to get out. You have to create such a deficit that he’s not going to be able to reel you back in with his speed endurance,” Gatlin recalled.
That blueprint, he believes, is exactly what Jefferson followed. And it worked to perfection. The result was one of the most significant victories of Jefferson-Wooden’s young career. “She was unrelenting… catch me if you can,” Gatlin‘s co-host, Rodney Green, said on the podcast, echoing the praise. Green then added, “That girl was gone. 21 seconds, not to be caught. Gabby tried to pull her back, but it was just too much of a deficit.” And Gatlin immediately agreed.
His tone wasn’t just complimentary. It was reverential. For a man who’s seen it all on the track, Jefferson’s performance struck a different chord. More than a win, Gatlin believes what Jefferson pulled off was a statement. The kind that forces the sprinting world to sit up and take notice. Her explosive start and sustained control weren’t just a tactical win; they were a display of evolution.
“She’s here to say, I am one of the best who ever did this,” Gatlin declared. That Franklin Field finish may have been 21.99 on the clock, but for Jefferson, the race might just be a launchpad toward something even greater. And quite rightly so, Jefferson-Wooden did not stop at the 200m. She completed a Slam sweep by taking the 100m gold as well.
Can anyone match Melissa Jefferson-Wooden after her historic Slam Sweep in Philadelphia?
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden didn’t just run fast in Philadelphia. She made history with ease! Already victorious in the 200m on Saturday with a personal best of 21.99, Jefferson-Wooden returned to the track Sunday and unleashed a blistering 10.73 in the 100m, sealing a Grand Slam Track double and stamping her authority as the fastest woman in the world this year.
The win wasn’t just another mark in the books. Rather, it was like a seismic moment. Jefferson-Wooden lowered her personal best from 10.80 to 10.73, moving into a tie for 10th on the all-time global list and becoming the fifth-fastest American ever. Only one active U.S. sprinter has run faster: her training partner, Sha’Carri Richardson. And the statement was loud.
Jefferson-Wooden’s time was just one hundredth shy of the gold-medal-winning mark from last year’s Olympics. She didn’t need to open her medal boxes at home to remember what she’s chasing. “I got a bronze medal in the 100m last year in Paris, and that’s all the motivation I need,” Melissa shared. With the sweep complete, Jefferson-Wooden now has her eyes on a much bigger target.
Global supremacy. “Wholeheartedly,” she said when asked if she believed she could become the world 100m champion this September. A season goal of breaking 10.80 is already checked. With every stride, every finish-line dip, she’s rewriting the script. The Grand Slam is hers. And perhaps soon, so is the world.
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