Jefferson-Wooden vows to break 37-year-old women's 100 meter record

Jefferson-Wooden is a modern-day speed queen.

Florence Griffith-Joyner's controversial 10.49 world record from 1988 has stood for decades, although Jamaican star Elaine Thompson-Herah came very close with a 10.54 in 2021.

After running 10.61 seconds in the world championship final in Tokyo, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden not only became the new 100m champion but also the fourth fastest woman in history.

However, instead of being satisfied with this milestone, the 24-year-old athlete believes that she could have aimed for 10.5 seconds or even further. Jefferson-Wooden admits that despite her excellent performance, she still regrets not being able to accelerate earlier in the final. If everything had been perfect, she could have broken the world record.

From failure to leap

Jefferson-Wooden came into this year’s race on the back of a string of impressive sub-11 finishes. She believes that focusing on the “process” will pay off, and that belief helped her stay calm in a tense final.

The experience from her Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medal helped her not to be overwhelmed by the pressure, and the result was a perfect performance, beating Jamaica's Tina Clayton (10.76 seconds) and reigning Olympic champion Julien Alfred (10.84 seconds).

Speaking about her success, Jefferson-Wooden said she always tried to stay focused on her technique, instead of letting herself be distracted by external factors. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, her coach also often reminded her to just be herself, not to try too hard.

Jefferson-Wooden's achievement was very close to a world record.

Compared to the heavy defeat at the 2022 world final in Eugene, when she finished last and felt like a “loser”, Jefferson-Wooden has changed a lot. She considers it a turning point in her career, urging her to reach new heights. The success with individual bronze and relay gold at the Paris Olympics further reinforced that belief.

For Jefferson-Wooden, the bronze medal was as precious as gold because she had to overcome a long-term injury to make it to the final. It was that marathon-like experience that made her enter this year's tournament with a new mindset, proud of herself but confident that she could improve.

Ambition to win the double

At 24, Jefferson-Wooden became the first American woman to win the 200m since Allyson Felix in 2009, and the first American to complete the 100m-200m double since Kelli White was stripped of both her gold medals in 2003 for doping. With a time of 21.68 seconds – the fastest in the world this year – Jefferson-Wooden also conquered the 200m.

Jefferson-Wooden is far ahead of its current competitors.

Initially, her intention to seriously pursue the 200m distance surprised the coaches. But Jefferson-Wooden affirmed her desire to become a real candidate. Before the race, she shared that she was eagerly waiting to try this event. Jefferson-Wooden was aware that although she was the 100m world champion, in the 200m she would have to start from zero. And the number 0 turned into the number 1 indicating the first person to finish in a distance that is not her forte.

In the world of women's athletics, Jefferson-Wooden is now not only the new champion but also the biggest hope to challenge Flo-Jo's seemingly immortal record. And perhaps, for the first time in decades, that mountain has someone capable of approaching it more than ever before.

Source: https://znews.vn/jefferson-wooden-the-xo-do-ky-luc-100-met-nu-suot-37-nam-post1590211.html