American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden wins 100m gold in fourth-fastest time ever

She is the reigning Olympic bronze medallist and the fastest woman in the 100m this year, but still, somehow, no one really thought Melissa Jefferson-Wooden would win gold against competitors like Olympic gold and silver medallists Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson. But that’s what she did in Tokyo on Sunday, crossing the line in a championship record time of 10.61 and relegating Alfred to third, in 10.84. Jamaica’s Tina Clayton also surprised the stadium with her silver-medal performance, in a personal-best time of 10.76.

SHE’S OUT OF THIS WORLD 🔥@Melissajanae21 stuns the crowd the only she way she knew how, with a lightning fast 10.61 to become the women’s 100m champion 🤯#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/oxtlJWXkfl

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 14, 2025

Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson finished a disappointing fourth, in a season’s best 10.88, while Richardson (the defending champion) was fifth, in 10.94, also a season’s best. Richardson received the last non-automatic qualifying spot in the final after stumbling out of the blocks in her semi-final heat earlier on Sunday.

It was anyone’s race out of the blocks, but Jefferson-Wooden pulled ahead dominantly in the final 30m. She is the only athlete to run sub 10.7 this year (she won the U.S. championships in 10.65), and hasn’t lost a race all year; she beat Alfred with a 10.75 clocking to win the event at the Pre Classic in July. Jefferson-Wooden and Richardson both train with U.S. sprint coach Dennis Mitchell.

It was an emotional night for Jamaica’s Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who said before these championships that this would be her last track race. The 38-year-old owns 10 world championship gold medals (five in the individual 100m) and has made every single world championship final in the 100m since 2009. (She finished sixth on Sunday, in 11.03.)

Fraser-Pryce told CBC, “I’m feeling so many emotions right now. To be able to walk away finishing sixth, for some people it’s bittersweet–and for me too. But to have been doing it for so long, I’m blessed.”

Fraser-Pryce will compete for Jamaica in the women’s 4x100m relay later this week.

Canada’s Audrey Leduc finished eighth in her semi-final heat and did not advance to the final.

See here for full results from the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Canadian Running’s coverage of the 2025 World Athletics Championships is brought to you by ASICS Canada.