Melissa Jefferson makes a statement, wins U.S. 100m title
After finishing 8th at the NCAA Championships, Coastal Carolina’s Melissa Jefferson (right) wins the 2022 USATF Outdoor 100m title. Photo by Bee Trofort-Wilson
By Joe Zochert
Day two of the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships were action packed with a battle in the men’s shot put, a new meet record in the men’s 100m and a world leading performance by Sandi Morris in the women’s pole vault. However, Melissa Jefferson, a junior from Coastal Carolina University, made the most noise in the women’s 100m on Friday.
Even though she surprised many by making her first World Championship team, Jefferson knew that punching a ticket to worlds was a possibility all year.
“I won't say that I'm fully surprised because it was one of my goals that I had listed down for this year,” said Jefferson, “It was to compete at this meet and make Team USA and compete at the World Championships.”
Jefferson captured her first national title with a time of 10.69 in the women’s 100m on Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. The junior beat out Adidas’ Aleia Hobbs and Nike’s Twanisha Terry, who finished second and third, respectively.
For Jefferson, this victory isn’t a fluke as it is just the reward for the motivation that she has built up after the 2021 NCAA Championships.
Last year, she competed in both the 100m and 200m at Hayward Field and didn’t advance out of the first round in either. The feeling she got from not advancing has stuck with her ever since.
“It started back last year, when I was at NCAA, and my goal for that meet was to make it to the finals and I didn't, I went out in the first round and I was very upset.”
“I remember feeling how I felt and so I told myself that from that day forward, I would never want to put myself in a position to where I would feel like that ever again.”
Jefferson won the NCAA indoor 60m national title in March, and two weeks ago, she advanced to the final rounds in both the 100m and 200m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Even though she placed eighth and ninth in the 100m and 200m, respectively, Jefferson has trusted the work that she has put in since last year.
“One of the biggest things for me is trusting what I've been doing and practicing, you know, I mean, you're right, what I know that are capable of doing.”
However, when things haven’t worked out for Jefferson over this past year, she has credited her faith for keeping her going.
“I just put all my trust in God and two weeks ago, I wasn't really happy with the results that came,” she said. “I had to step back and realize who's really in control.”
“He's in control of everything that I endure in this life and so if He knew that two weeks ago, it needed to happen in order for this to happen today and I’m fine with that.”
With this year-long work and mindset, Jefferson won her prelim with a mark of 11.04 on day one, then ran a personal best of 10.82 in the semifinals. Less than two hours after the semifinals, she pulled off the upset for the American title in the 100m.
Now, Jefferson will have a chance to be the first woman from the United States to medal in the 100m at Worlds since Tori Bowie. However, she will most likely have to go through Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser and Sherika Jackson. These three swept the 2020 Olympic podium in the event.
Despite never racing against these three, Jefferson welcomes the challenge.
“I'm just glad that I get an opportunity to do it, and you know, I'm ready for any challenge and anything that may come my way,” she said about the potential competition at Worlds. “Because, I've been preparing for this ever since last year and I feel like I'm ready for it.