Julien Alfred looked ready to keep her strong 2026 season going! Earlier this month, the Olympic champion won the women’s 100m at the Oslo Diamond League in 10.76 seconds. That result made fans even more excited for the Prefontaine Classic, where Alfred was set to line up against Shericka Jackson, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Sha’Carri Richardson, and more. But just days before the meet, Alfred pulled out of the race, with no reason given, opening the door for a new name in the field.

That name is 20-year-old NCAA champion Adaejah Hodge, who is now in the women’s 100m lineup for her debut appearance at the Prefontaine Classic on July 4. She’s still a collegiate student at the University of Georgia, and, hasn’t gone pro yet, but it’s a big chance for her to prove herself against the greatest in the world on a big stage.

Hodge is coming into Eugene with a stellar NCAA performance during the 2026 D-1 Outdoor Championship.  She won the women’s 200m title in 21.68 seconds and, in doing so, she set a new NCAA collegiate record. In the same championship, she finished second in the 100m final with 10.93 seconds. In the 100m prelims, she clocked 10.63, breaking Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate record.

But Hodge’s path to Eugene was anything but smooth. Before this breakout season, Hodge served a 17-month suspension from August 2024 to January 2026 after testing positive for metabolites of GW501516. This violation was in the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, where she earned silver in the 100m and gold in the 200m. After the ban, she has gradually started to regain her form and stepped right back into the top-level competitions.

Before Hodge, Sha’Carri Richardson held the record at the collegiate level after running 10.75 seconds in the 100m final at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Hodge’s recent times have pushed her as the fifth-fastest woman in the world over 100m all-time.

Now the Prefontaine Classic provides her with another major boost. It is her first time on this stage, and she will line up against some of the biggest names in women’s sprinting. The question now is how far she can go against them.

World Champions stand in Adaejah Hodge’s way at Prefontaine Classic

The women’s 100m is one of the season’s most heavily loaded events at the Prefontaine Classic. Dina Asher-Smith, Brittany Brown, Tia Clayton, Tina Clayton, Tamari Davis, Amy Hunt, Shericka Jackson, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Gémima Joseph, Brianna Lyston, Jenna Prandini, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jonielle Smith, Cambrea Sturgis, Patrizia Van Der Weken, Kayla White, and Adaejah Hodge are all on the list.

The biggest threat to Adaejah Hodge would come from the toughest opponents around who are coming in with the real pep: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. She became the first American woman to win both the 100m and 200m at the same World Championships (2025), plus relay gold. . She has started 2026 just as sharply by opening with a 10.84-second win in Stockholm.

Shericka Jackson will also test her. The Jamaican star has Olympic medals in the 100m, 200m, and relays, plus world titles in the 200m from 2022 and 2023. She has already shown form this year, too, running 10.81 to win the Jamaican national 100m title and posting a strong 21.87 in Xiamen.

Then there is Sha’Carri Richardson, one of the biggest names in the sport. A World 100m champion and Olympic medalist, she remains a constant threat whenever she lines up. In 2026, she has already shown speed with a 10.77 run in Florida and a 10.99 in the LA Grand Prix.

Amy Hunt is another name rising fast. After Olympic relay silver at Paris 2024, she has continued to improve, dipping under 11 seconds with a 10.97 personal best in 2026 and looking more confident with every race. With that kind of depth, there is no easy lane in this race. Every athlete on the list has something to prove, and every start matters.