Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Becomes First American Woman To Win Double Gold At The World Championships

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden embarked on a historical journey as she entered the 2025 World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Almost a week after winning gold in the 100-meter dash, where she broke the championship record and became the fastest American woman alive, Jefferson-Wooden stormed to another victory in the 200-meter dash.

ForbesMelissa Jefferson-Wooden Becomes World Champion In The 100M, Becomes Fastest American Woman AliveBy Katelyn Hutchison

With a gold medal in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, Jefferson-Wooden is the only American woman in history to achieve the double. She is the first woman, in general, to complete the double since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.

The now three-time world champion ran a personal best and world lead of 21.68 to dominate the field. Although Jefferson-Wooden did not previously consider herself a 200-meter specialist, she can confidently say that she is one now.

The silver medal went to Great Britain’s Amy Hunt. Hunt ran 22.14, which isn’t too far off the 22.08 personal best she ran yesterday to make it into the final. She is now the second fastest British woman of all time.

No 200-meter podium is complete without the second-fastest woman of all-time and the previous world champion, Shericka Jackson. Jackson ran 22.18 for bronze and added another world championship medal to her impressive athletic resume.

Anavia Battle was fourth in 22.22. Battle had some of the most impressive rounds through the championships. The Tokyo Olympian ran 22.07 and 22.08 for her third and fourth fastest times ever.

Great Britain’s national record holder Dina Asher-Smith was fifth in 22.43. Olympic bronze medalist Brittany Brown ran 22.54 for sixth. Seventh was 36-year-old Ivorian sprinter Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith in 22.62. Ta Lou-Smith has made every Olympic and world championship final since 2016. Paris Olympic finalist Mckenzie Long placed eighth, running 22.78. Bahama’s Anthonique Strachan was disqualified for a false start.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s Path To Becoming One Of America’s Greatest Sprinters

Jefferson-Wooden went completely undefeated in the 100-meter dash this season and only amassed one loss in the 200-meter dash this year. She holds three world championship titles, one Olympic gold, and one Olympic bronze. Jefferson-Wooden is also the two-time U.S. champion in the 100-meter dash.

Only four women in history have ever won double gold at the world championships. Jefferson-Wooden and Fraser-Pryce join Silke Gladisch and Katrin Krabbe on that list.

In an interview after the competition, Jefferson-Wooden was in shock at her historic feat. Considering how many women have attempted the double, she understands how this accomplishment solidifies her spot at the top of the history books.

“I’ve cried so many tears,” she said. “I haven’t stopped smiling. I probably won’t stop smiling for the next 24 hours. I truly can’t overstate how much it means.”

Jefferson-Wooden’s journey at the Tokyo world championships is far from finished. Now that she has won two gold medals, she is looking to earn a third in the 4×100-meter relay. If Jefferson-Wooden does this, she will join Fraser-Pryce as the only two women in history to earn three gold medals at the world championships.

The U.S. women’s 4×100-meter relay squad could include three of Jefferson-Wooden’s training partners. Sha’Carri Richardson, Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry, and Jefferson-Wooden are three of the four women who earned gold in Budapest and at the 2024 Olympics. The only person missing from the crew is Gabby Thomas. Thomas originally qualified for the world championships but decided against racing due to an achilles injury.

Assuming the other three remain the same, that leaves one spot open for another American woman. Fans are speculating it could be Kayla White, who is training partners with Richardson, Terry, and Jefferson-Wooden. White would be an excellent replacement for Thomas, as she runs great curves like Thomas, since they are both excellent 200-meter runners. Additionally, team camaraderie is imperative for smooth handoffs. What better way to achieve that than having all members from the same training camp?

Jefferson-Wooden is confident in her teammates’ abilities to accomplish the task. They will have formidable competition from Jamaica, whio will be looking to end the U.S. world championship winning streak. The last time Jamaica won the title was in 2019. If they keep a similar squad to the one that ran at the World Athletics Relay Championships in March, the U.S. will face Jackson, Fraser-Pryce, and twins Tia and Tina Clayton.

Fans can rewatch the 200-meter dash showdown here on the NBC Sports YouTube channel.

More action at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships will begin tomorrow at 6:35 a.m. EST with the men’s 4×400-meter relay heats. Fans can watch live on Peacock and USA. Live results and the full competition schedule can be found here on the World Athletics website.