Melissa Jefferson-Wooden just made history. In Tokyo, she became the first American woman ever to sweep the 100m and 200m at the World Championships — and only the fourth woman in history to do it. Her 100m victory also made her the fastest American woman alive.
But her rise didn’t happen overnight. From a small-school star at Coastal Carolina, where she won an NCAA indoor title, to becoming a U.S. national champion … from missing a U.S. team altogether to earning Olympic bronze in 2024 … MJW has taken every setback and turned it into fuel.
Now, she’s a 3x World Champion who told me at Prefontaine Classic that her was her goal — then went out and did exactly that. In this exclusive Speak Your Piece sit-down, Melissa opens up about her entire journey, the mindset behind her success, and what it means to make history on the world stage.
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🎤 About Speak Your Piece:
A raw, real, and reflective platform where athletes and everyday people speak their truth. We talk about sports, culture, hot takes, life lessons, and everything in between — through the lens of a twenty-something still figuring it all out. No filters, no fluff, just facts and feeling.
About Me (Denise):
I’ve been in the track & field media game for over a decade — first as an athlete, then a student-reporter, and now a full-time journalist. I hold both a B.A. and M.A. in Sports Journalism from Michigan State University and competed as a varsity athlete while chasing stories.
I’ve worked with the best in the game — covering World Championships, NBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Draft, the WNBA, Millrose Games, Prefontaine Classic, Junior Olympics, and the Olympic Games — creating content for The Players’ Tribune, Grand Slam Track, World Athletics, NBA, Yahoo Sports, USATF, MileSplit Inc. and more.
Speak Your Piece is my way of continuing that mission: telling stories the right way, spotlighting different journeys, and creating space for real conversation.
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