American's "dream" season delivers the perfect ending as she surges to world 100m title in Tokyo.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has raced over 100m no fewer than 12 times in 2025. She has finished first on every single occasion but the win that will mean the most arrived in remarkable style at the World Championships in Tokyo on Sunday night (September 14).

On an evening of sprinting fireworks that saw the men’s and women’s 100m finals take place just seven minutes apart, the American broke the championships record with a run of 10.61 (0.3) that is the fourth-fastest in history to land the first major title of her career. 

Like many of her performances this year, she looked in command from the early stages and there was clear daylight between the 24-year-old and Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, whose PB of 10.76 brought her silver. 

Just as in the men’s race, the reigning Olympic champion finished third, with Julien Alfred running 10.84, while Shericka Jackson was fourth in 10.88. Defending world champion Sha’Carri Richardson was fifth in 10.94 and, in the last championships of her remarkable career, five-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce not only reached the final at the age of 38 but finished sixth in 11.03. Britain’s sole representative in the men’s and women’s 100m finals – Dina Asher-Smith – clocked 11.08 for eighth. 

“This year has been nothing short of a dream,” said the 24-year-old victor. “I've been working so hard for this very moment. To be able to put together the perfect race at the right time just means so much.”

There will be some who won’t be celebrating Jefferson-Wooden’s victory too much. Her USA team-mate and 200m Olympic champion Gabby Thomas recently posted on social media that: “Doping coaches should be banned for life from coaching in the sport. Whether you were banned while competing as an athlete or caught distributing as a coach [for some, both]. I don’t care… If you train under a coach who is known for doping … you are complicit.”

It was seen as a thinly veiled criticism of Dennis Mitchell, coach to the group that contains Jefferson-Wooden, Richardson and Twanisha Terry.

As an athlete, Mitchell was banned for two years in 1998 after a test showed high levels of testosterone and, under oath in 2008 during the BALCO investigation, he testified that he’d received human growth hormone (HGH) injections from his coach, Trevor Graham. Mitchell faced further doping related allegations, which brought his sacking as coach to former world champion Justin Gatlin.

In the post-race press conference, Jefferson-Wooden chose not to answer questions from reporters to provide her thoughts on Thomas’ views.  

“Gabby isn’t here,” said the world champion. “She’s entitled to her opinions.”

When asked about dealing with the pressure that had come with being the pre-race favourite, and blocking out the outside noise, she said: “I focus on me and my abilities and what I know I'm capable of. 

“I surround myself with love, with people who believe in me, who support me, who have seen me become the athlete that I am today. When it comes to the outside noise and social media, at the end of day, people are always going to have their opinions. 

“They're going to say what they want to say, but it's up to me how I respond to that, and the best way for me to respond is to not respond at all.

“Even if I do see some things, you know, I don't let it get to me, because at the end of day, I know all the work and things that I put in to be able to come out here and perform day in and day out. If you really look at my whole season, I've done a really good job of just focusing on me. It's kind of crazy to say I have a championship record.” 

In a painful quirk of fate in the semi-finals, British athletes dislodged each other from the final non-automatic qualifier’s spot. It was a place first held by Daryll Neita, who was part of a semi-final in which Richardson received a reprieve after a false start, falling out of her blocks.

Neita finished fourth in 11.06, but was overtaken in the second semi-final by Amy Hunt’s 10.05. Hunt’s campaign was then finished by Asher-Smith’s 11.02.

"I'm happy," said Asher-Smith after the fourth 100m world final of her career. "I would have loved for my times to be a bit shinier over the 100m, but given the year that I've had [moving back to London from America after leaving Edrick Floreal's training group in Texas] I'm so happy with just how I came into these championships. Obviously, I want a lot more in the 200m."