Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won a superb duel with Julien Alfred to take the women’s 100m at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic on Saturday (5 July).
Jefferson-Wooden made the far better start of the two, but the Olympic champion moved menacingly alongside the home runner with the pair well clear of the rest. However, Jefferson-Wooden refused to yield and crossed the line first in 10.75, just outside her world lead of 10.73 set at Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meet.
Alfred suffered her first defeat of the year as she took second in 10.77, with Ivorian veteran Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith clocking a season’s best 10.90 in third. Jamaican champion Tina Clayton (11.02) was fourth.
Sha’Carri Richardson, who had just one previous run under her belt this season – in Tokyo in April – was never competitive as she finished ninth in a season’s best 11.19. In the build-up to the race, the 2023 world champion revealed she had suffered an injury in February.
More to follow…