Gabby Thomas Withdrawal Raises Big Questions for US Women’s Track & Field at Tokyo World Championships

“The United States earned 12 gold medals, 8 silver medals and nine bronze medals at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest,” Citius Mag reported today. But things are not the same for the 2025 World Championships. Sha’Carri Richardson is not clicking back into the form she once ruled the world with. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is going off her dominating event, from 400mH to 400m. And then came Gabby Thomas’s announcement. “As an athlete you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can’t outwork an injury.” The Achilles injury that has been bugging her this season finally resulted in the worst. So, how does this change things for the 200m for the USA?

In Gabby Thomas’s absence, eyes are turning on Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. She first made headlines this season by defeating the 200m Olympic gold medalist in the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track, clocking 21.99s. But if we look at the world, Shericka Jackson is one athlete who can trouble the Americans. Not just reigning world champion, but someone who is looking to make a hat-trick of it, someone who is looking to heal the wound of the Paris Olympics, where she could race due to her injury. But…

The American 200m national champion has been dangerous. The only 200m race Melissa has lost this season is the Miami GST, and that too to Gabby Thomas and Tamari Davis. That is some crazy level of domination from the American. Though Tokyo would be their first encounter, Melissa’s season and career best sits at 21.84 seconds clocked in the final of the USATF championships. While Jackson’s season best sits at 22.17s, her career best is 21.84, but she has also not clocked a sub-22 since 2023. The Jamaican might outrun other Americans like Brittany Brown with ease, but Jefferson is a hard pass. There’s one more question, too.

Julien Alfred – another threat! At the London DL, she clocked a time of 21.71s for the win, her season best, her career best, a time faster than Melissa’s by more than a second. Aflred has improved her running. Most notably, her transition from the curve into the home straight has become a major strength—this is where races are decided, and Alfred is excelling. In this duel, Melissa might take a backseat but not without a fight. And as Citius Mag’s Instagram post read, “🇺🇸 Team USA for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo has been announced!”, we couldn’t help but speculate how the commentary might go…

So the 200m finals of Tokyo World Championships could go like: Bang…here they go….Julien Afred…Melissa Jefferson quick off the blocks…Shericka Jackson follows…Asher Smith and Brown are in the background. Jefferson is slightly in the lead, but here comes the bend…Alfred can be dangerous…and she is…she is starting to pull the gap. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Julien Alfred are locked in. Is history going to repeat itself for America? Julien Alfred says yes as she takes the lead…will the American catch up? No. The Saint Lucian is the 200m world champion. Jefferson finishes second, followed by Shericka Jackson. 

And probably that is why Gabby’s withdrawal is raising the big questions, because in the 2023 World Championships, she did beat Alfred in the 200m finals. She clocked 21.81s to finish behind Jackson (21.41s), and the 100m Olympic gold medalist clocked 22.05s to finish behind Sha’Carri Richardson (21.92). Yet, Melissa, now, might do what Sha’Carrri did – win the 100m world championship.

Melissa Jefferson might turn the tables on Julien Alfred in the 100m

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been undefeated in the 100m in 2025, winning every race she has entered. She claimed the USATF Championships in 10.65s, and also won the Brussels, Silesia, and Zurich Diamond League races. In fact, she has recorded two sub-10.70 performances this season. Her starts and acceleration allow her to maintain top speed through the finish, making her the fastest sprinter on form this year.

Meanwhile, Julien Alfred, the 2024 Olympic champion, has also performed strongly, defended her Diamond League title in Zurich with a 10.76s win. She won all her 100m races this season except for a narrow defeat to Jefferson-Wooden at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic (10.75 vs 10.77). She set a season-best of 10.75s in Stockholm, which is less than the fastest woman of the 2025 season, i.e, Jefferson-Wooden.

Head-to-head, Alfred won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics while Melissa took bronze, but Jefferson-Wooden did beat her in 2025 at the Prefontaine Classic. This sets up a Tokyo showdown between Jefferson-Wooden’s undefeated form and Alfred’s proven championship pedigree. So, no matter the winner, we will surely have one hell of a showdown down the tracks…