Melissa Jefferson’s 2025 season has been nothing short of phenomenal. After her early setback against Gabby Thomas at the Miami Sprint, something ignited inside her, and she hasn’t looked back since. In Tokyo, she scorched the track in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, claiming gold in all three and becoming only the second athlete after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to sweep the sprints at a World Championship. Yet despite her dominance, World Athletics overlooked her for Athlete of the Year, and now she’s finally speaking out.

Undefeated in 20 of her 22 races, with records tumbling behind her, Jefferson looked untouchable all year. This season has been the epitome of dominance for the athlete; none of her competitors could close in on her, and her medal tally just kept growing. While speaking with The Track and Field Network, she was probed on whether she was bothered by all the hubbub surrounding the Athlete of the Year honor. Jefferson-Wooden explained, “Okay, let’s see. Part of me was mad.”

To her, the snub certainly felt like “a slap in the face to all the work that I put in this year to be able to do what I went out there and did.” Yet despite the bad taste, she remains content with everything she accomplished this season. In her own words, “I like to be respected. You can keep it, actually. It’s okay. Yeah, I’m cool.” This is a woman who just delivered one of the greatest campaigns in a season by an American woman in the history of the sport—no doubt.

The Georgetown native admitted she’s just as confounded – “Yeah, well, that was the other thing I said. I was like, what else was I supposed to do? I don’t know.” Melissa Jefferson-Wodden was certainly among the nominees on the fan-voting list for Athlete of the Year, but the 100m and 200m world champion saw her name be removed in the initial rounds due to low votes. Now, Femke Bol (NED) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) stand as the two finalists. Both athletes have undoubtedly achieved noteworthy feats: Bol won the 400m hurdles, and Sydney dominated the 400m flat in Tokyo, but their accomplishments arguably pale in comparison to Jefferson-Wooden.

But then, the disappointment had become part of the grind. She added, “I’ve been getting overlooked in my career for so long now.” At one point, you become so used to being sidelined that you start accepting it, “I don’t want to say that I’m used to it, but in a sense, it’s just kind of like, okay, cool, fine, whatever. I guess I’ll try harder next time.” Chiming in, the host, while thinking out loud, wondered what more Jefferson-Wooden can possibly do to get noticed. If her three-gold haul at the Worlds isn’t enough to earn her the Athlete of the Year title, then what is?

Out of the top 10 fastest times this year, she owns more than half. That’s dominance. So, what next awaits Melissa Jefferson-Wooden?

“The sky is the limit,” said Melissa Jefferson-wooden about her career

Once upon a time, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden sprinted through her hometown declaring that she was destined to become a champion. Years later, she lived that dream in Tokyo, crowning herself thrice and adding a spectacular feather to her cap. Her achievements are great, but what holds far more significance for her is the fact that she learned something new this year.

“The biggest lesson I got from this year is learning that if you lock in and dial in on things you say you want to achieve but also put the hard work in on top of that, the sky is the limit,” she said in her conversation with the William sisters. “There are so many things out there that I’ve accomplished this year. But there are so many more things that I do want to accomplish.” With a meteoric rise comes a merciless work ethic, one she trusts will push her to even greater heights.

This year, each practice zeroed in on the goal she had set for herself, a change in approach that powered her toward an incredible season capped by top podium finishes. Now, she’s eyeing another standout run at the world’s biggest stage next year in Budapest – but can she maintain the level of consistency? Only the future can answer that. What’s your take? Share your thoughts below.