The US sprints pair both recorded personal bests over 100m to secure national titles at Hayward Field
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek both lit up the track in the 100m and laid down markers at the USATF Outdoor Championships (August 1).
The duo went into the national championships in fine form – their respective season’s bests were 10.73 and 9.86 – but at Hayward Field they took their performance to another level.
Jefferson-Wooden, alongside her 10.73 (1.4) from the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track in June, had also clocked 10.75 (-1.5) at the Prefontaine Classic last month. It wasn’t just the mark itself that was impressive – the US athlete also beat Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred in the process.
So expectations were great for Jefferson-Wooden as she took to the Eugene track once again. A time of 10.86 into a 1.5m/s headwind during the heats only increased the probability of the Olympic bronze medallist producing a truly special mark in the final.
It really wasn’t a shock – Jefferson-Wooden is yet to lose over 100m in 2025 – she rose to the occasion. After a super start, the US sprinter never looked back and clocked a personal best of 10.65 (0.4). Not only was it the fastest time by a female over 100m for two years but Jefferson-Wooden also went joint-fifth on the world all-time list, alongside Marion Jones, Shericka Jackson and Sha’Carri Richardson.
Kayla White recorded a personal best of 10.84 to place second while Aleia Hobbs finished third in 10.92, with the pair also off to Tokyo.
Kenny Bednarek and MJW (Dan Vernon)
Bednarek, in a similar vein to Jefferson-Wooden, backed up his consistency over the season with a fine run to become the national 100m champion.
The world and double Olympic 200m silver medallist had already recorded marks of 9.86 and a windy 9.79 this season, so it wasn’t surprising to see him secure a maiden title on home soil.
With Noah Lyles receiving a bye due to the fact that he’s the world 100m champion, Bednarek, even in a field that included the likes of Trayvon Bromell and Christian Coleman, was the favourite.
Bednarek came out on top in a pretty pulsating tussle, clocking a personal best of 9.79 (1.8) to go joint-12th on the world all-time list.
The top five athletes all went sub-9.9 seconds, with Courtney Lindsey (9.82) and T’Mars McCallum (9.83) recording bests to book their spots to Tokyo. Bromell was fourth in 9.84 and Coleman placed fifth with 9.86.
Anna Hall (Dan Vernon)
Anna Hall once again demonstrated that she is the favourite for the world heptathlon crown in Tokyo with another masterful performance. The double world heptathlon medallist went joint-second on the world all-time heptathlon rankings with 7032 points at Götzis back in May, so it was extra special that Jackie Joyner-Kersee – the world record-holder in it – was in attendance in Oregon.
Although Hall couldn’t get near her monstrous total from Götzis, she still eased to victory with a tally of 6899 points, finishing off her series of events with a 2:04.60 win in the 800m.
The other two finals were both in the field, with Vashti Cunningham securing her spot on the plane to the Japanese capital with a best clearance of 1.97m to win the high jump.
It took Isaac Grimes until the last round to top the standings in the high jump but the Florida State based athlete with a distance of 8.15m.
One of the biggest shocks in the championships came in the women’s 800m as Tokyo Olympic champion Athing Mu-Nikolayev failed to qualify for the final after finishing fourth in her semi-finals with 1:59.79. The top nine women made it through and she was tenth quickest overall.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Dan Vernon)
It’s likely that 1:42 or lower could end up being the time to decide the men’s 800m title and based off the semi-finals, you wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Brandon Miller (1:44.25), Donovan Brazier (1:44.39) and Josh Hoey (1:44.47) were the three fastest qualifiers for the final.
World 400m hurdles record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has only signed up for the flat 400m at the national championships, looked imperious in her heat and won easily with a stunning 49.59. She will have her eyes on Sanya Richards-Ross’ 19-year-old US record of 48.70 in the final.
Quincy Wilson, who recently improved his world under-18 400m record to 44.10, failed to make it out of the heats after finishing fourth in 45.39.
AloJapan.com