The World Athletics Championships in Tokyo saw two new global 100m champions crowned as America’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville secured stunning breakthrough victories.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, 24, dominated the women’s final, setting a new championship record with a time of 10.61 seconds.
Her victory follows a stellar season where she remained undefeated over the distance and solidified her position as the world’s top sprinter. This win marks a significant step up for Jefferson-Wooden, who previously won a 100m bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“It has been an amazing year. I have been dreaming of this moment,” said Jefferson-Wooden, who also shared that her sporting ambitions were once put on hold to be a stem cell donor for her father.
In the men’s final, Oblique Seville, also 24, became the first Jamaican man to win a global 100m title since the legendary Usain Bolt.
Cheered on by Bolt himself from the stands, Seville claimed victory with a personal best of 9.77 seconds, leading a Jamaican one-two finish with teammate Kishane Thompson taking silver. American defending champion Noah Lyles finished with the bronze.
“To win this gold medal is something special to me,” Seville commented. “Track and field is both mental and physical. But, to be honest, I think I have mastered the mental part of it.”
Seville, who trains under Bolt’s former coach Glen Mills, finally delivered on his promise after finishing fourth at the previous World Championships in 2023.
