Jefferson-Wooden runs 21.47 for fourth-fastest 200m time and victory

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a world-leading 21.47 seconds to win the 200 meters at the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, producing the fourth-fastest time in history and completing the 100-200 sprint double. Her performance, achieved into a 0.6 m/s headwind, was 0.21 seconds faster than her previous personal best and left her just behind Florence Griffith Joyner’s 21.34 world record and Shericka Jackson’s two faster marks. Fellow Americans Gabby Thomas and Kayla White finished second and third in 21.77 and 21.93, completing a U.S. sweep. Jefferson-Wooden earned $300,000 across the two sprint victories, while Kenny Bednarek also completed the men’s 100-200 double with a season-best 19.52.