It All Started Here: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden went from small-town phenom to global sprinting superstar in just a few short years.

Jefferson-Wooden, 24, grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina, which is located between Myrtle Beach and Charleston and has a population of just over 8,400. She is the youngest of six children and is the daughter of two preachers.

At Carvers Bay High School, Jefferson-Wooden stood out in track and field and played tenor saxophone in the marching band.

In 2016, her freshman year at Carvers Bay, Jefferson-Wooden emerged on the sprinting scene by winning South Carolina High School League 1A state titles in the 100-meter, 200 and 4x100 relay events.

Jefferson-Wooden added another state title during her senior year, taking the 100 in 12.03 seconds, and also competed in the long jump in high school, including a fourth-place finish at state her junior year.

Upon graduation from Carvers Bay, Jefferson-Wooden went on to study exercise and sport science and run track at Coastal Carolina University.

The COVID-19 pandemic derailed her freshman season before Jefferson-Wooden qualified for the 2021 NCAA Championships and finished 14th in the 100 meters the following year.

Building on that momentum, Jefferson-Wooden won the NCAA indoor 60-meter title in 2022 and claimed her first national title in the 100 at the USATF Championships. She also joined Team USA for the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she won gold in the 4x100 relay.

After turning pro, Jefferson-Wooden repeated as 4x100 champion at the 2023 World Championships.

During the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, Jefferson-Wooden set a personal best time of 10.80 in the 100 to finish second and qualify for the Paris Olympics while also making the 4x100 team.

At the Olympics, she earned a bronze medal in the 100 with a time of 10.92 and gold as part of the 4x100 team, running with teammates Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Twanisha Terry.

Post-Olympics, Jefferson-Wooden hasn’t slowed down a bit.

This past September in Tokyo, Japan, Jefferson-Wooden achieved the sprint triple at the World Championships by winning the 100, 200 and 4x100 gold medals – the first American to do so and only the second woman after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce achieved that feat in 2013.