For nearly two years, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden had gone unbeaten in the women’s 100m. But that streak finally ended in Zurich, where Olympic champion Julien Alfred edged her by just 0.005 seconds despite both sprinters clocking 10.70. Yet, rather than letting the narrow defeat overshadow her season, Jefferson-Wooden appears to be taking the result in stride after producing one of her fastest races ever.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Zurich clash came on August 27, just days after Jefferson-Wooden had beaten Alfred in Silesia. The American ran 10.78 seconds to finish ahead of the Olympic champion. This time, Alfred had the answer. The Saint Lucian sprinted to a national-record 10.70 seconds, but Jefferson-Wooden was right there with her. The American matched Alfred’s time, with the photo finish eventually giving the victory to the Olympic champion by just five thousandths of a second.
It was the first time Jefferson-Wooden lost the first 100m of the night since the Paris Olympics in 2024, when Jefferson won gold, and Alfred was awarded the bronze. Nevertheless, Jefferson-Wooden seemed unconcerned by the outcome. “I am always happy to see the season’s best. I do not like losing, but you know, it is the name of the game,” she said after the race. “Obviously, anytime we step to the line, it is going to be a good race. And today, it came down to the wire.”
Rather than looking back at the defeat, Jefferson-Wooden was already thinking about the next opportunity to test herself. “So I am looking forward to seeing her again in two weeks. But not only her, you know, anybody going to go back in, and I want to see what I can put out there,” she added. “But we are still in a really good spot to do some really amazing things.”
Her final thought summed up her attitude perfectly: “In the end, you cannot be bad with a season’s best at all.”
Interestingly, Alfred has been the one sprinter to consistently give Jefferson-Wooden problems this season. The two first went head-to-head in the 200m at the Golden Gala in Rome on June 4, where Alfred won in 21.93 seconds while Jefferson-Wooden finished second in 22.17. Jefferson-Wooden bounced back to win the 200m at the U.S. Championships in 21.69, but Alfred remained a difficult opponent whenever they shared the track.
Their 100m meetings told a different story. Jefferson-Wooden defeated Alfred in Silesia with her 10.78 season’s best, only for Alfred to respond four days later in Zurich. That makes their rivalry particularly interesting. And there could be another chance to see them go head-to-head.
Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden became fierce rivals
Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred could be set for another showdown in Brussels, with the Diamond League Final taking place on September 4-5. Jefferson-Wooden has already qualified for the women’s 100m final, while Alfred has confirmed her presence at the Brussels meeting. If they end up lining up against each other again, it would add another exciting chapter to a rivalry that has grown with almost every meeting.
The tale between them dates back to the Paris Olympics in 2024, where Alfred put herself on top. On August 3, she ran the 100m Olympic final to claim the gold medal, making her the first Olympic champion from Saint Lucia. Sha’Carri Richardson finished second with a time of 10.87, and Jefferson-Wooden placed third with a time of 10.92.
Then in the 2025 season, Jefferson-Wooden emerged as one of Alfred’s biggest challengers at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 5. The American produced a 10.75 to beat Alfred, who finished just behind in 10.77. Jefferson-Wooden carried that momentum through the rest of the season. She won the 100m at Silesia in 10.66 seconds and followed it with another victory in Brussels.
On September 14, 2025, Jefferson-Wooden completed that rise by winning the world 100m title in a championship-record 10.61 seconds. Alfred finished third in 10.84. Since then, neither athlete has been able to stay ahead for long.