Grand Slam Track: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden runs PB, edges Gabby Thomas in 200m
PHILADELPHIA — Olympic 100m bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edged Olympic 200m gold medalist Gabby Thomas in the 200m on the first day of the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia meet.
Jefferson-Wooden ran a personal best 21.99 seconds to hold off Thomas, who ran 22.10. Jefferson-Wooden's previous 200m best was 22.15, but she got a step on Thomas out of the blocks and held that lead throughout for a Franklin Field record.
'Even though I'm primarily a 100m runner, the workouts that we do will prep me for the 200m,' said Jefferson-Wooden, who trains in Central Florida with Olympic 100m silver medalist Sha'Carri Richardson, among others.
Grand Slam Track Philadelphia concludes Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock. Jefferson-Wooden and Thomas will duel again, this time in the 100m.
GRAND SLAM TRACK: Full Results
In other races Saturday, Jamaican Ackera Nugent took the 100m hurdles in 12.44 seconds.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the two-time Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, dropped down to the 100m for Philadelphia and placed fifth in 12.70. That's just off her personal best of 12.65.
On Sunday, McLaughlin-Levrone is slated to race the flat 100m for the first time since 2018 with the same group of 100m hurdles specialists.
Olympic silver medalist Marco Arop of Canada pulled away from American Josh Hoey to win the 800m in 1:43.38.
Hoey, who ran 1:44.41, tested himself in an outdoor 800m against one of the world's best in Arop for the first time. Hoey has been a breakout since missing the Olympic team by one spot. Over the winter, he ran the second-fastest indoor 800m in history, then won the world indoor title in the event.
Kenny Bednarek (200m win in 19.95) and Brazilian Alison dos Santos (400m hurdles win in 48.11) each moved to 5-0 in Grand Slam races and are the only undefeated racers on the circuit.
Nick Zaccardi,
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