CHORZOW, Poland, Aug 24, CMC – American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden handed Julien Alfred her first defeat of the season by storming to victory in the women’s 100m at the Silesia Diamond League here on Sunday.
Jefferson-Wooden matched her season’s best performance of 10.78 seconds to relegate Alfred, the Olympic champion, to second in 10.83, while Sha’Carri Richardson was a distant third in 10.96 seconds.
Jamaica’s Brianna Lyston, who was also timed at 10.96 seconds, was fourth in a photo finish, while her teammates Tina Clayton (11.01) and Tia Clayton (11.24), finished sixth and ninth respectively.
It was Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred’s first meeting over 100m since last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, where Jefferson-Wooden won in a championship record of 10.61 and Alfred took bronze in 10.84.
The Saint Lucian Alfred was full of praise for her arch-rival after the race.
“Running in a race of this quality feels amazing, I missed it a lot. Melissa is a great athlete and she [deserves] a lot of respect.
“I still have Zurich, the 200m in Brussels and the 100m at the Ultimate Championships to come. I hope that in Zurich I will race better. It is the start; if I get better there then I can win. [There’s] a lot to work on,” Alfred said.
