Melissa Jefferson-Wooden showcased her dominance in the 100m and 200m races by claiming a double gold at the Tokyo World Championships. But it was her stance after the event that sparked an interest in the fanbase. Talking to Shannon Sharpe, she claimed, “I thought I was going to run 10.5, if I’m being honest.” And it seems like Cordell Tinch agrees with Jefferson-Wooden’s sub-10.5 claim and has a prediction to make. 

At the 2025 World Athletics Championships, Jefferson-Wooden finished the 100m race in 10.61 seconds, claiming the gold. And at the 2025 USATF, she finished in 10.65 seconds with a tailwind of +0.4 m/s. But with her aim to run sub-10.5 seconds, Tinch has an interesting perspective to share. During a recent episode of Nightcap, dated October 6, Tinch predicted, “I said, I’ve never seen a 10.6 or 10.7, whichever one it was. I was like, I’ve never seen that in person. That was might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I can see her running 10.5.” 

Going sub-10.5 seconds is no easy feat. Right now, only Elaine Thompson-Herah has gone sub-10.5 seconds (and Florence Griffith Joyner clocked in at a record time of 10.49 seconds). Jefferson-Wooden claimed that with the right conditions, like a tailwind of +1.5 m/s and with a little bit of explosiveness at the beginning of the race, she could go sub-10.5 seconds. 

Tinch chimed in and claimed that she ran pretty well, given that she had a headwind in her last race. All she needs is a good track. And Sharpe came in with a comparison with Thompson-Herah. He stated, “If you go back and look at when, Elaine Thompson-Herah, when she ran that, when she ran what she ran 10 54, she had perfect conditions and she had the people in the race. You’ve got to have the people in the race, and there has to be a certain level of fear.” To this, Sharpe mentioned that there should be the right people, with the right tailwind, to help Melissa Jefferson-Wooden achieve her goal.

Of course, Cordell Tinch had to agree to that reasoning. But even though the entire world praised Jefferson-Wooden, the double champion wasn’t too happy with her win.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden had one regret despite the win at the 2025 World Championships 

During the conversation with Shannon Sharpe, Jefferson-Wooden admitted that Tokyo witnessed her fastest 100m ever. But there’s still room for improvement. She claimed that her clock-in time could have been better had she expressed more explosiveness coming out of the blocks. Well, the beginning was indeed the weakest part of her race. In her own words, “That’s just because I like to be able to create the separation.” 

And if Melissa Jefferson-Wooden had another chance, she’d play things a bit differently. The double champion admitted, “If I could do it all over again, I would probably be that much more aggressive at the start. And then you take my start, make it a little bit more aggressive with how the rest of the race went for me.” Nevertheless, she has already begun perfecting her stride. 

Interestingly, her impressive performance in Tokyo leaves her 0.12 seconds off the women’s 100m world record time of 10.49 seconds. Toppling this record will be an almighty challenge, but chasing difficult sprints she’s welcomed in the past – proven by her rise from Olympic bronze medalist to world championship triple crown holder.

Talking to the media following her 100m win at the World Championships, she confessed that it was all about being consistent. “Practice makes perfect.” And with discipline and practice, she might just bring Tinch’s prediction to reality.