Jefferson-Wooden, Bednarek blaze to 100m titles at US trials
Jefferson-Wooden's time puts her into elite company, tied alongside Marion Jones, Shericka Jackson and reigning 100m world champion Sha'Carri Richardson as the fifth-fastest women ever.
The 24-year-old from South Carolina now looks the firm favorite for the World Championships in Japan, where she will be chasing her first major title following a 100m bronze medal at the Paris Olympics last season.
"I've been dreaming of days like this, and it's finally starting to come true," Jefferson-Wooden told reporters, adding that she was still pinching herself at vaulting up the all-time 100m list.
"It's surreal. It doesn't actually sound real. You look at all these races, all these amazing women who have accomplished these things -- me being part of that list is actually kind of crazy."
In the men's race meanwhile, two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Bednarek dominated the field to win in 9.79secs, ahead of Courtney Lindsey, who was second in 9.82sec. T'Mars McCallum was third in 9.83sec while Trayvon Bromell was fourth in 9.84sec.
"I'm happy with the time, happy with the performance," Bednarek said. "I definitely have way more in the tank.
"I already knew I was in this kind of shape -- I just needed to let one rip, and I did."
Cramping drama
Bednarek revealed though that his race had nearly unraveled after he began cramping mid-race.
Bednarek said he had scarcely had time to react to the problem before powering home.
"When something like that happens, you say 'Screw it, 'm going,'" Bednarek said. "You just gotta keep going."
But there was disappointment for 2019 world champion Christian Coleman, who finished fifth and out of the Tokyo qualification places.
Coleman qualified for Friday's final just hours after news emerged he had been allegedly assaulted by girlfriend Sha'Carri Richardson at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday.
Elsewhere on Friday, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hinted she is ready to carry her dominance of the 400m hurdles into the 400m flat with an imperious victory in the opening heats.
The 25-year-old has been unbeaten over the 400m hurdles since 2019, winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals as well as a 2022 World Championship gold.
However McLaughlin-Levrone is focusing on the 400m at the US championships, apparently opting to skip the 400m hurdles at the Tokyo World Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone was always in control on Friday, finishing first in her semi-final heat in a time of 49.59sec, several meters clear of second-placed Lynna Irby-Jackson in 50.59sec.
While McLaughlin-Levrone is looking forward to Saturday's final with confidence, her 2021 Olympic 4x400m relay team-mate Athing Mu-Nikolayev was heading home.
Mu-Nikolayev, who won Olympic 800m gold in Tokyo and followed it up with a world title a year later, was eliminated in her 800m semi-finals.
The 23-year-old looked comfortable in the opening round on Thursday, qualifying second fastest, but could do no better than fourth on Friday in a time of 1min 59.79sec.
Despite the setback, which ended her hopes of qualifying for the World Championships, Mu-Nikolayev is optimistic she can compete at the highest level again.
"I think that's helpful for what I need going for (the) next couple of years. Everything's not going to be pretty, everything's not going to be perfect," she said.
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France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Lyles says best to come after testy trials win
Lyles, the reigning Olympic 100m champion, will attempt to defend both his 100m and 200m world crowns in Japan, aiming to emulate Usain Bolt with a fourth consecutive world 200m gold. The 28-year-old from Florida warmed up for that challenge in Eugene on Sunday by clocking a world-leading 19.63secs in a testy battle with Kenny Bednarek. Lyles angered Bednarek by turning his head to stare down his rival just before he took the tape. Bednarek shoved Lyles in the back over that apparent taunt. Lyles refused to comment about the flashpoint after his win. "Under coach's orders, no comment," Lyles said before brushing off further attempts to talk about the spat. Bednarek, though, was more expansive. "That's unsportsmanlike shit, and I don't deal with that," Bednarek said. "I don't deal with any of that stuff. It's not good character." The feud sets up the possibility of an intriguing rivalry over the remaining months of the season between the two US sprinters. While both men are planning to run in Europe ahead of the World Championships, they will almost certainly duel again in Tokyo. 'I can beat him' Lyles, who has endured a patchy season disrupted by niggling ankle and groin injuries, believes that his best is yet to come and that Sunday's win augurs well for his world championship hopes. "If they ain't gonna beat me now, they ain't gonna beat me ever," Lyles said. "I'm seeing everything I need to see in practice, so I'm truly just waiting for it to transfer over. Me and my coach says when you see something happen in practice, it takes about three weeks to see it on the track in a race. "And it's still not even close to what we've seen in practice -- we're still far behind. "I'm trying to get as many races in as possible. You know, as you can all see, I'm underdeveloped in terms of races. So I just need to keep getting sharp. So I need to keep putting myself in more and more competitions." Bednarek, meanwhile, plans to be lying in wait for Lyles in Tokyo. The 26-year-old from Tulsa has three silver medals in the 200m at major championships but is so far waiting for his breakthrough gold. "Next time we line up, I'm gonna win," Bednarek said. "That's all that matters to me." Bednarek noted too that while Lyles had run only three races in Eugene -- scratching from the 100m after his opening heat -- he had raced all five rounds of the 100m and 200m. "I've said it for years, Noah's gonna be Noah. If he wants to stare me down, that's fine," Bednarek said. "But I ran five rounds, and he was fresh. We can line up again when we're both fresh and let's see what happens -- because I'm very confident I can beat him."
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Coleman defends 'great person' Richardson after assault controversy
Speaking after a sixth-place finish in the 200m at the US track championships at Eugene, Oregon, Coleman said he believed Richardson should not have been detained following the incident at Seattle-Tacoma Airport last Sunday. Richardson spent a night in jail after being detained, with a police report later stating she was caught on video repeatedly shoving Coleman forcefully. "For me personally, I feel like it was a sucky situation all round," Coleman said when asked about the incident by AFP. "I don't feel like she should have been arrested. "I mean people have discussions and emotions and stuff like that. She has things that she needs to work on for herself of course. So do I, so do you, so does everybody. "But I'm the type of guy who's in the business of extending grace, and mercy and love." Coleman, the 2019 world 100m champion, said the controversy had not affected his championships, where he failed to secure a top three finish in both the 100m and 200m. He will still head to Tokyo as part of the US relay pool. Richardson meanwhile failed to qualify for the 200m earlier Sunday. She declined to speak to reporters afterwards, other than to wish media a "blessed day." But Coleman is backing the 25-year-old Texan to bounce back for the rest of the season. "It didn't affect me," Coleman said of last Sunday's incident. "She's a human being and a great person, and I feel like you know, we've been able to be really good team-mates all year. We're just two dominant personalities. To me, she's the best female athlete in the world. "She's just had a lot of things going on, lot of emotions and forces going on inside of her that not only I can't understand, but nobody can. "Because she's one-of-one. I know it's been a tough journey for her this year. "But she's gonna bounce back because she's the best female athlete in the world. I see it every day. She's gonna be just fine. She gonna be good, and I'm gonna be good too." © 2025 AFP
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Lyles, Jefferson-Wooden storm to victories at US trials
The final day of action at Eugene's Hayward Field saw Lyles come from behind to win a testy battle with Kenny Bednarek in a world-leading 19.63secs. After edging in front of Bednarek just before the line, Lyles turned his head to stare down his rival as he took the tape. That drew an angry response from Bednarek, who shoved the reigning 100m and 200m world champion as the two men slowed down after the finish. Lyles, the Olympic 100m champion who already had a bye into Septemeber's Worlds in Tokyo, refused to be drawn on his spat with Bednarek. "Under coach's orders, no comment," Lyles said afterwards. But Bednarek, a double Olympic 200m silver medallist, was more expansive. "What he said doesn't matter, it's just what he did," Bednarek said, referring to Lyles' finish-line stare. "That's unsportsmanlike shit, and I don't deal with that ... I don't deal with any of that stuff. It's not good character," added Bednarek, who took second in a season's best 19.67sec. In the women's sprints meanwhile, Jefferson-Wooden signalled she could well be the woman to beat in Tokyo after completing her 100m-200m double, winning the 200m in 21.84secs, with Anavia Battle second in 22.12secs. Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas just squeaked into the Tokyo squad, finishing third in a photo finish with Brittany Brown. "As long as I'm executing my race the way I know I can, then the times are going to continue to come," Jefferson-Wooden said. "And 21.84 I'll take." Brazier comeback While Jefferson-Wooden is looking forward to Tokyo, Sha'Carri Richardson will only compete in the 100m at the World Championships. Richardson, arrested for domestic violence last week following a clash with boyfriend Christian Coleman, failed to qualify for the 200m final. Coleman also failed to qualify in the 200m, but will go to Tokyo as part of the US relay pool. Elsewhere Sunday, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin coasted to victory in 46.89secs to seal his spot in Tokyo. In the women's 400m hurdles, 35-year-old 2016 Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad rolled back the years with a victory in 52.65secs, setting up what will be an emotional farewell in Japan in her final season before retirement. In one of the races of the day, former world champion Donavan Brazier capped a sensational return to form with a battling victory in the 800m. Brazier won gold at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, but subsequently saw his career blown off course by multiple injuries which required surgery. He only returned to racing this season after a three-year absence from the track. The 28-year-old left that injury nightmare firmly in the rearview mirror on Sunday, though, punching through a gap in the final straight to take the tape in a personal best of 1min 42.16sec, just ahead of 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus, who took second. Lutkenhaus's time of 1:42.27 was a new under-18 world record. Bryce Hoppel was third in 1:42.49. "The past few years have been really rough for me," Brazier said. "To finally have a chance at redemption, and just showcase resiliency -- I was really happy to do it today. It was just pure grit." In the women's 800m final, former Under-20 world champion Roisin Willis reached her first major championships with a battling victory in 1min 59.26secs. Willis finished ahead of Maggi Congdon (1:59.39), with Sage Hurta-Klecker third in 1:59.48. In the 110m hurdles, Ja'Kobe Tharp won in 13.01sec. Olympic and world champion Grant Holloway, who has a bye to the world championships, scratched from the final. In the women's pole vault, three-time world championships silver-medallist Sandi Morris edged reigning world champion Katie Moon into second place with a winning height of 4.83m.
