After standing atop the podium in both 100m and 200m and clinching a relay gold at the Tokyo World Championships, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has concluded her season in style. But here’s the twist: she did it all while running practically blind. “I’m running blind. I’m Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and I’m the fastest girl in the world,” confessed the American. Yet, despite this visual struggle, she’s been unstoppable, racking up medals with ruthless consistency. Now, it seems she’s finally ready to fix the problem for good, and for that, she might just have 3x Olympic medalist Aaron Brown to thank.

On October 17, Brown and Jefferson-Wooden sat down with CBC Sports for an exclusive conversation. During the interview, Brown asked the sprinter about her recent blind remarks and suggested, “We’ve got to talk about that. I had LASIK surgery because I used to be blind as well, and it changed my life,” said Brown.

Brown further asked whether she wasn’t open to such surgery, considering that she’s grown used to running “blind” and doesn’t want to ruin the magic behind it. With a laugh, Melissa admitted that she’s simply gotten used to running that way; it’s become second nature to her now. “I honestly don’t know at this point, because as much as I would love to see, I think I’ve just gotten so used to not running and being able to see very, very well.” 

However, she added, “but it’s something I would definitely be open to. The problem is, though, I love wearing my glasses. Like, I love wearing my glasses, but I hate putting contacts in my eyes. This is like a love-hate relationship. So I’m like, I mean, obviously, if I get LASIK, I could still wear cute frames or something, but I don’t know — maybe, maybe I will think about getting LASIK.” 

The 100m-200m world champion then asked if she would have to stay awake during the surgery. When Brown replied, “Yes,” she appeared flustered and admitted feeling nervous about it. However, she eventually said that she might consider it in the future. Despite her vision difficulties, the athlete has been performing phenomenally. Her sights are now firmly set on the Olympics.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden eyes more excellence after Tokyo endeavor

After the Tokyo Worlds, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the only American woman in history to achieve the double. More so, she became the first woman to complete the double since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013 (at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia). But, despite garnering such achievements, the American is not satisfied.

“If you really lock in and dial in on the things that you want to achieve, but also put in the hard work as well on top of that, the sky’s the limit for you. There are so many things out there that I’ve accomplished this year, but there are so many more things that I want to accomplish. Knowing that I left the World Championships very, very happy, but also, I’m not satisfied just means so much and gets me really, really excited for the years to come,” Melissa Jefferson-Wooden said in an interview with CNN Sport.

So, what’s next? The LA 2028 Olympics, which excites her more than anything, “I’m excited for LA, and I’m sure it’s going to be one for the books, and I’m so excited.” With her performance this year, she is certainly ready for LA. However, the question is, will she be able to stay consistent till 2028? Time will tell.