Best of Track World Athletics Championships Part 2: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden JOINS + Unc throwing SHOTS at Jamaica

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Shay Shay

Episode: Best of Track World Athletics Championships Part 2: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden JOINS + Unc throwing SHOTS at Jamaica
Date: September 20, 2025
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (World 100m Champion)
Main Theme: A celebration and analysis of U.S. sprinting at the World Athletics Championships, featuring an in-depth interview with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden on her historic gold medal, rivalry with Jamaica, and her journey to the top.

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Overview

This episode of Club Shay Shay celebrates U.S. dominance at the recent World Athletics Championships, focusing on the fierce rivalry with Jamaica and highlighting the extraordinary achievements of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the newly crowned world’s fastest woman. Shannon Sharpe discusses the state of sprinting, strategic insights, and national pride, before welcoming Melissa for an in-depth conversation about her path to gold, the mindset of a champion, specific race breakdowns, and the future of women's sprinting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

U.S.–Jamaica Sprint Rivalry

(05:00–09:10)

• Shannon Sharpe addresses Jamaican fans, both respecting Jamaica’s sprinting legacy and bantering about recent results:
  • “Y’all make it seem like the Olympics just inserted the 100 meters in 2008… Usain is the greatest sprinter to ever live—facts. But when it comes to sprinting, the Jamaicans have had some greats… but you know what time it is.” (06:00)
  • Calls out both men’s and women’s sides, lists legends like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown, and Merlene Ottey, but insists Team USA is back: “We gonna pay y’all ass back… We getting gold and silver.” (08:40)

Men’s 200m Showdown: US vs. the World

(07:18–09:10)

• Dissects the 200m final prospects, favoring Noah Lyles against top Jamaican and African rivals:
  • “If [Noah] doesn’t win, it’s going to be an upset… He’s run 19.31, fastest this year at 19.63. Big Narrator is right behind at 19.67, Tobogo at 19.76. We know Tobogo can run… It’s gonna be interesting.” (08:05)
  • Friendly trash talk: “What y’all got, Jamaicans? What y’all want to put on this?” (08:45)

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In-Depth Interview: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden

Arrival and Mindset

(12:20–13:44)

• Shannon congratulates Melissa on her 10.61s—fourth fastest time ever.
• Melissa beams: “Thank y’all, I told you I was coming back.” (13:41)
• Details the Tokyo experience, efficient prep, and feeling “good” after her win.

Championship Strategy & Race Breakdown

(14:05–16:06)

• Melissa on “survive and advance” strategy: “Just conserve as much energy as… and then when you get to that last round… lay it all out.” (14:28)
• Feels she could have run sub-10.6 with a tailwind:
  • “Absolutely. I thought I was going to run 10.5, if I’m being honest… I had a chance to run anywhere between 10.52 and 10.55 with the right tail.” (14:57–15:12)

Self-Analysis and Room for Growth

(16:06–17:10)

• Despite the win, sees ways to improve: “I probably could have been a tad bit more explosive coming out the blocks… if I could do it all over again I would probably be that much more aggressive at the start.” (16:06)
• On Tia Clayton’s late charge: “Where you going? Get up out of here!” (17:12)

Strengths, Training, & Execution

(17:47–19:09)

• Melissa defines her start as her biggest strength but explains ongoing work on transitions, frequency, and keeping her form strong throughout the race.
  • “My start is kinda the part… I don’t necessarily have to worry about, but I focus on other parts—the transition, acceleration, keeping my frequency up.” (17:57)

Handling Pressure and Nerves

(20:11–28:35)

• Admits to “playing it safe” after seeing false starts elsewhere: “The only person that can beat Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is if I fall start.” (20:11)
• Reveals she gets “anxious” before big races but calms down with music, routine, and focusing once warm-ups begin:
  • “The biggest thing I do is just listen to music… the minute I get to that warm up area… I’m ready.” (28:35)

Passing the Baton – 4x100m Relay Strategy

(29:41–33:59)

• Reveals the likely U.S. 4x100 lineup: “I will be leading it off… my training partners on the (subsequent) legs: TT, Kayla White, to Sha’Carri.” (33:18)
• Shannon lights up: “We got the fastest woman in the world running lead-off… once the head is caught, what’s behind stays behind!” (33:59)

Life After the Win: Family & Recognition

(36:31–38:07)

• Melissa describes post-race emotions, family support in Tokyo, and celeb shoutouts:
  • “Daniel LaBelle (social media star) messaged me… I was like, oh my god, thank you!” (37:24)

Personal Journey: Humble Beginnings to World Champion

(38:38–41:45)

• Melissa tells her underdog story: growing up in small-town South Carolina, being “fast for my level,” and turning pro after college at Coastal Carolina (a small D1).
• “It wasn’t until 2022 where everything—like one meet—literally changed everything.” (39:48)
• Reports never having all the same resources as big schools: “Control the things that are in your control… the rest works itself out.” (41:45)

Training Evolution, Nutrition, & Sacrifice

(43:00–44:21)

• On needing to get stronger: “You had to get bigger, you had to get stronger… I’m still thin, but now I definitely have more muscle mass.” (43:41)
• Now works with a chef, cut out fast food:
  • “The last time I had fast food was before my wedding. I said I wouldn’t have any until after I do all the things I want.” (44:27)
• “That’s what I was supposed to be sharing with the world… my gift is running.” (41:45)

The Dream of Double Gold (100m & 200m)

(46:19–47:47)

• Ambitiously targets a 100-200m golden double: “The goal this year… is to win everything… I want to be at the forefront, be able to say I came away with gold in the 200.” (46:19)
• Only Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has done this double at Worlds: “You get an opportunity to do something that hadn’t been done in 40 years.” (48:27)

Reflecting on Greatness & Next Steps

(48:27–49:46)

• Urged by Shannon to be “greedy,” not satisfied:
  • “Don’t be satisfied—be greedy. Get double gold, do something very few have ever done.” (48:27)
• She promises: “When you get that 200m gold, come on back!” — “Okay, I’m coming back.” (49:46)

Show-and-Tell: Flashing the Medal

(50:02–50:24)

• Melissa proudly shows her medal on camera: “Yeah, got it last night — round of applause.” (50:26)

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Notable Quotes

• On the U.S.–Jamaica Rivalry:

  • “Y’all know what time it is… You go back and look at the World Championships the last 15–20 years. We right there. Y’all think the Jamaicans been running things, but go back and look at it.” — Shannon Sharpe (06:00)

• On her historic run:

  • “Absolutely. I thought I was going to run 10.5 if I’m being honest… I thought that I had a chance to run anywhere between 10.52 and 10.55 with the right tail.” — Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (14:57)

• On nerves:

  • “I don’t really be nervous, I just have a lot of… I be anxious in a sense, but… the minute I get to the warm up area… I’m ready.” — Melissa (28:35)

• On sacrifice:

  • “I haven’t had fast food since before my wedding. I said I wouldn’t have any until after I do all the things I want.” — Melissa (44:27)

• On faith and ambition:

  • “I can’t put a limit on what I think I can accomplish if I say that I believe in [God] wholeheartedly… Then there’s no way I could put a limit.” — Melissa (22:39)

• On the 100m/200m double:

  • “The goal this year… is to win everything… Only [Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce] has been able to back it up with the 100 and the 200.” — Melissa (46:19, 48:27)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Rivalry with Jamaica, US sprinting legacy: 05:00–09:10
• Interview Introduction / Melissa’s arrival: 12:20–13:41
• Strategy, wind, and self-evaluation: 14:05–16:06
• Strengths and technical improvement: 17:47–19:09
• On nerves and mental preparation: 28:07–28:35
• Relay team strategy, US outlook: 29:41–33:59
• Underdog journey, personal background: 38:38–41:45
• Training, nutrition, and sacrifice: 43:00–44:21
• Ambition for 100m/200m double: 46:19–47:47
• Closing inspiration, medal presentation: 50:02–50:26

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Memorable Moments

• Melissa describing her race finish:
  • “It kind of went blank for a second and then the closer we got to the line I was just like, don’t do that thing you do where you like roll your shoulders… just run through the line.” (27:32)
• Public display of her world championship gold medal: (50:10)
• Friendly banter about cutting out McDonald’s and working with a chef — a joking point through the back half of the interview: (44:07–45:57)
• Shannon’s urging for greatness:
  • “Don’t be satisfied, be greedy… do something that very few have done!” (48:27)

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Final Notes

This fast-paced, candid episode is both a victory lap for US track and a motivational masterclass. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s humility, technical insight, and competitive fire shine as she celebrates history but sets her sights higher. The episode also echoes broader themes—resourcefulness, faith, national pride, sacrifice, and the underdog spirit — inspiring listeners to chase their own gold, on or off the track.

Transcript

[Host]

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[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

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[Host]

More details hey don't think i didn't see what y' all said jamaica but we about to get that gold medal we about to get gold and silver in the two hundred let him know talk to him y' all be talking y' all make it seem like the olympics just inserted the one hundred meters in two thousand eight when you say burst on the teeth on the scene now i'm not gonna take anything away from it he's the greatest sprinter to ever live facts not gonna take anything from him but when it comes to sprinting and and and it's an incredible what the jamaicans have been able to do when you look at oo a country that size you're talking about yeah you know what four million people yeah if that yeah and to have the greatest i mean and and some of the women i mean you look at shelly and fraser i mean they've always merlin ai she never won gold but you know she was always silver bronze on the olympics and in the world championships so they've had they've had good good sprinters vcb veronica campbell brown sharon stewart they've they've had great women sprinters so don't get me wrong i don't want to say anything but y' all know y' all know what time it is right y' all know what time it is okay so if you go back and look at the world championships i'll say last big fifteen twenty years i mean we right there i know y' all think the jamaicans you know been running things but go back and look at it go back and look it up i i know y' all only go back to two thousand eight because usain and i get all that but you know the olympics the modern olympics is one hundred thirty years old they first instituted the olympics the modern olympics in eighteen ninety six just you know i just say it if you look at it if you look at it yeah gold medal in the olympics gold medal in the world championships i feel very comfortable yeah do y' all have i feel y' all have the greatest male and female woman sprint of all time yes usain is the greatest is the greatest male he's the greatest sprinter woman sprinter is shelly appraiser price absolutely i'm not arguing that i'm not i'm not i'm not arguing that shelly ann is unbelievable i mean five world championships two olympic goals a a a a a a two hundred meter championship two four by one championships what's the argument she's the greatest you say i don't even have to say anything i don't need to say hey you just say usain boat the greatest sprinter ever shelly ann is the greatest woman sprinter ever but you know we gonna see what we we gonna see we gonna try to make it we're gonna make it two for two sweepstakes yeah hey mj got this yeah and y' all already know got something for y' all oblique go see noah in the two hundred crocheting go see him in the two hundred y' all want some y'.

[Co-host/Commentator]

All won't smoke yeah all my fellow jamaicans you know i love you yeah hey i love you every last one.

[Host]

Of you i get them jamaican oxtails at least once a month huh yeah what gone yeah but y' all be they'll be talking reckless man look first of all it is an upset because noah was the reigning olympic and world champ what do you mean it wasn't an upset it is if you beat the champ i'm not saying oblique hadn't been running well noah hadn't been noah hadn't had a whole lot he was dealing with some injuries that's what he said he didn't run a whole lot didn't run a whole lot one hundred meters didn't run all and he's he he's taught himself he's a two hundred meter specialist like usain that taught himself how to be a good one hundred meter runner ocho but i gave seville and and thompson the credit they go into golden seventy dead they beat him.

[Co-host/Commentator]

But i'm worried i'm i'm worried i'm worried about this two hundred why look i'm wait i'm waiting he seems to.

[Host]

Be fit so it should look we know about we know about noah we know about the narrator we know about tobogo i don't know if anybody else can really challenge those three noah seems to be route as he's run and he had to run rounds he's kind of run himself conditioning where it needs to be because there's nothing like racing you can get out there and practice all you want to but you gotta race right you got to get your body conditioned to run those four rounds and i i like i like noah chances we'll see i love him now i don't like it i love it i love this yes and if he if he doesn't win it's going to be an upset it is i know to bogo but i mean you talk about a guy that's won what three world championships and everybody that's in this race he has the fastest time he's run nineteen thirty one he has the fastest time this year at nineteen sixty three big narrator is close behind him in nineteen sixty seven and then tobogo is at what seventy nineteen seventy six we know toboga is run i think he ran nineteen forty one nineteen forty three at the olympics so we know tobogo can run we know he has two hundred meter capabilities he got dq'd out of the one hundred meters but it's gonna be interesting to see god don't know it who want to bet something on it put something on it how old what y' all got what y' all got jamaicans what y' all want to put on this but y' all want to put on man lie to yourself i'm taking noah we getting gold and silver we gonna pay y' all ass back y' all took gold and silver in the honey we finna.

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[Host]

We about to do ojo that we about to do mj here she is here she is hey joining us the late world's fastest woman here she is all the way from tokyo she got the bronze medal in paris she said she wasn't satisfied she says i want to reach my maximum potential and she did at the world track and field championships in tokyo just a few days ago she ran ten sixty one which is the fourth fastest time ever run by a woman we got flo jo who ran ten forty nine at the usa's in indy and in twenty twenty one i don't know what was in the water because you got elaine thompson harold run ten fifty four in eugene and then you had shelly ann frazier price to pocket rocket run ten sixty in luzon and here she is we had a conversation mj i say i think if you with these ladies in with the right win i say i believe you can go ten i believe you can go sub ten six you had a negative head win i believe as you get that plus you get a plus one you get a plus one five you going ten you're going sub ten six do you believe that congratulations tell us how you before we get into that how you feeling i'm.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Feeling good thank y' all i told you i was coming back you told.

[Host]

You hey you hey i said when you win that gold medal i said when you win the gold medal make sure you come back and tell us.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

About it oh yeah and your wi fi is perfect listen tokyo tokyo it's so efficient over here everything is great the wi fi is good i know it's good because i brought my game in i could play call of duty.

[Host]

So you're going into so obviously is your coach over there with you so tell me your strategies so obviously it's survive in advance you're trying to be as efficient as you're possible i'm not trying to expand any more than i have to to advance and get through the rounds and so that's what i'm trying to do and once i get to the finals i'm going to drop the hammer is that kind of your strategy survive in advance doing as little.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

As possible yep that's the name of the game when it comes to these championships and the rounds is to just conserve as much energy as and then when you get to that last round it's just about who can put together the perfect race at the perfect time and i just kind of look at it as i'm going to just lay it all out because i mean i've been working for this very moment so there's no need to be trying to hold anything back just let it rip.

[Host]

Do you believe if you get a positive tailwind you could have gone ten.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Sub ten six absolutely i thought i was going to run ten five if i'm being honest i knew it really.

[Host]

Hello ten ten five eight ten five five or or lower than that if.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

I'M being completely honest i thought that i had a chance to run anywhere between ten fifty two and ten fifty five with the right tail.

[Host]

Well that well now you're talking about the right tail when you're probably going to need a probably about a one point five and a one point five would probably got you what you wanted probably at ten fifty five maybe a little lower but i felt that with the women in this in this race you look at julian alfred to saint lucian you look at tia clayton so you had the women to lou is always dangerous from the ivory coast she's dangerous dina asher smith she's dangerous your training partner sha' carri she's run ten sixty five there's not a whole lot of women that's run ten sub ten seven she's one so you had the women in the race you had the track you just needed a little bit more favorable conditions and i believe you go sub.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Ten six yep for sure and i say that too and then even looking back at the race like obviously it was one of the best races of my life it was the fastest i've ever ran but i look at the race and i still see areas where i could have improved on like i probably could have been a tad bit more explosive coming out the blocks or you know just running through well i i ran through my transition very well i feel like the weakest part of my race the other night was probably the start and but that's i would agree and that's and that's just because i like to be able to create the separation like my coach drills into my head like you know when we get in certain races obviously the game plan changes but for races like these in this moment you're the biggest advantage that i can have for myself is to put it away in the first thirty meters i feel like going back at it like if i could do it all over again i would probably be that much more aggressive at the start and then you take my start make it a little bit more aggressive with how the rest of the race went for me then i probably would i probably wouldn't have needed to win i probably wouldn't have needed a tailwind.

[Co-host/Commentator]

To run matter of fact i don't.

[Host]

Know boy that finish hey tia clayton pulled up she like where you mj say where you going get up out of here where you going you ain't f to get there that's me hey.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Mj when when it come when it comes to racing and always having a game plan when you're going against women that are that are great as those that you went against today or well what what time it's one thirty it's one what it's one hundred thirty eight.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Out there huh it's it's yeah it's like two thirty it's like two thirty in the afternoon here on wednesday no.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Tuesday you always have a game plan going to a race like that what part of the race is your strength would you say.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

I would like to say my strength in my race is my start start yes but sometimes i have a tendency like i think i've been so focused on trying to make the other part of my races better it's almost kind of like i find i find comfort in knowing not being complacent or prideful or anything like that but my start is kind of like the part of the race where i don't necessarily have to worry about it just it with my start it just it has more so to do with how aggressive i am attacking the front side angle and things like that but i really try my hardest to focus on the other parts of the race so like the transition acceleration the keeping up with my frequency like i've always had the frequency but in the past i just wasn't strong enough to be able to meet or let it get the let it get the best of me if that makes sense so like my legs could be moving this fast but then if my arms ain't doing that like if i can't keep up with the amount of turnover and frequency that i have then that's when things start to go wrong in the race so i feel like this year just in that race alone like i feel like i feel like my acceleration and my transition was probably like the best.

[Host]

I'Ve ever had yeah when you look at a race in training i'm sure your coach is drilling your head there's two ways to increase speed stride length and stride frequency how far are you out and how quickly do you pick them up and put them down you look at usain bolt he's the perfect sprinter you talk about a guy that had a stride length and he had the stride frequency and he's taking him probably forty steps to run one hundred meters so you said i'm a starter but for some reason was it in the back of your mind did you know did you see that tobogo had false started is that in the back of your mind like look i am not gonna blow this i still believe even with these women in this race you got talou and you got alfred and you got clayton and you got shericka jackson and you got sha' carri they're in this race but in the condition that i'm in right now they can't beat me the only way the only person that can beat melissa jefferson wooden is if i fall start if i don't fall start they can't see me they can't get number tailpipes today.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

And it's true because i think it's crazy because i did the same thing at us trials like i feel like this year my best start was probably when i ran at prefontaine and eugene so like maybe about a couple weeks out before us trials but even like going through the rounds at us trials i was very i was very like i played it safe with all of my starts through the rounds but it was just i think i think like i agree with you i think that i know what i have in the tank and i don't want to put myself in a predicament to mess that up so i'd rather play it safe than to you know have that one time where i think like oh no this is the one and then it be it's a little bit too too much so yeah is it a situation.

[Host]

Mj that maybe you get a diamond league meet where you don't have to run the rounds it's one time it's one crack you know i go over there a couple of days earlier i get acclimated i don't have to get off a plane and i'm running in three hours something like that well i go over there and i get acclimated for a couple of days and i only got one race is it a situation like that where you feel you can put something together because we're asking you to do an awful lot and i understand this you know to put rounds together and then run fast at the end because even though you're trying to be as efficient as possible you're still moving at a pretty good rate you're still burning gas so to speak and so do you think a ten it was possible but what do you think about if you just get that one race so you know what this.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

It yeah i think i think without a i think without a doubt it would have happened because then it would have just been like one and done like this is it did you only get yep empty the tank that's literally.

[Host]

It when you when you think about it no american woman and we've had some fans only one american woman has ever won faster than your ten sixty one carmeleta good friend hey she run ten sixty four we got sha' carrier ten sixty five we got marion jones at ten sixty five we got some so you're in a very elite company you you i believe in the next year maybe two you're gonna join you know elaine and flo jo that ten four ten five is group have you thought about it when you wrote your goals down coming into this year was ten five on that paper.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

So ten five this year writing down my goals ten five wasn't on the paper ten six definitely was though okay i wrote down ten sixty eight and then when i ran ten sixty five at trials it was kind of just like oh well excuse you you don't know what you're talking about actually to my own self so but then it's just like a testament to the work that i put in and me knowing that like you know i'm a very firm believer in my faith and i know that the journey that i'm on the journey that i'm walking like god i'm right where i'm supposed to be where i'm supposed to be and so i can't put a limit on what i think that i can accomplish if i say that i believe in him wholeheartedly to the fullest extent and that he's literally guided my steps then there's no possible way that i could put you know a limit on what i do so and the same thing goes for the two hundred like i ran twenty i had written down twenty one nine that was my end goal for the two hundred for me this year and i ran twenty one ninety nine in rain and sixty eight degree weather so i'm like okay melissa like what are you actually talking about like what do you actually think you know right so those.

[Host]

Are not favorable conditions cold and rain the last thing a sprinter wants to see now a distance runner he okay.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

With the cool yeah he's like let's.

[Host]

Have a day he wants he wants it they want it to be cool but as a sprinter the way you're bound tight you want it nice and you know seventy five i do seventy five yeah give me a little nice little tailwind but you don't want windy you don't want rain you slipping and all that other stuff so now and i'm looking at this race and i'm looking at the women that's in this race yourself and julia laffert has run ten seventy you know shericka jackson run ten sixty five shelly ann has run ten sixty talou had run ten seventy i think ten seventy five she's run a monster time so you got everything that you could possibly hope for you like you know what you looking around you're like yeah you're like this is all barbecue chicken oxtail yeah i mean were you feeling good so how did you feel going into how did you feel coming into the championships because you had run you were the favorite you had run all the times and i kept like well damn you put you had you know what what i knew melissa when you put back to back ten sixes i said there ain't been a whole lot of women that can back up ten six with another ten six when you back that up i said if she don't fall start ain't nobody beating her is that when you knew you was ready to run fast.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Really fast i i think i knew after i ran philly's grand slam that this was gonna be like that i feel like that's when it started before then but it was really like okay no i feel like it was i put the stamp on it like no this is your year to become a world champion it was after that meet and then going into trial or going into prefontaine you know was the rematch of the olympic podium very much so it almost looked pretty identical to the finals that we had last year in paris so it was kind of like all right they beat you that time don't let them beat you again and going into the race a couple days ago i remember we were in the call room and then they were about to walk us out for the final and i sat there and i just told myself and i was like melissa tonight is your night but it's not going to be given to you you're going to have to take it like don't just think that it's just going to come to you and then i looked around and all the women that i was getting ready to race against they had all beaten me before and i said well they won't get me twice and i was the last before i got to the line that was the last thing i said before i got to the line and then after the gun went off it was just like well here we go i don't.

[Host]

I can honestly say and i follow track and field and everybody knows i'm a big track and field fan i don't know if i've ever seen anybody finish as strong as you did i mean because when teal clayton challenge you it's almost like racehorses because a lot of times talking to bob baffert and some famous trainers ocho know you they say they'll tell the jockey let the horse pull up next to him that horse knows he's in a competition against this other horse he just needs to somebody pulls up to his bumper and he knows he's there now he gets another gear melissa when teal clayton pulled up i was like okay oh i said oh ooh and then you like where are you do you where are you going i ain't even hit this turbo i ain't dropped this nitrous on you yet i said well damn did you did you know have you seen have you re watched the race did you see that you got another gear did you see that for your own.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Self i did so crazy enough i did see it when i heard the gun go off i remember me getting out and i was just like okay you got to clear the pack you got to clear the pack and then i got to the middle of the race and then it kind of went blank for a second and then the closer we got to the line i was just like don't do that thing you do where you like roll your shoulders get all crazy like just run through the line and then after i ran through the line it was kind of like oh i think i won but i need to know i need to see with my own eyes that i actually won so i didn't really feel myself hit that other gill it was just about really like just trying to trying to stay clear of everybody.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Else are you are you nervous before races i think about football games and right before kickoff the music is playing and before they kick the ball off i got butterflies in my stomach stomach is tight i'm nervous until i actually have contact or i catch a touch of ball like it's almost i don't want to use the word scared but nervous as before a race like that before you go in the blocks is there are your nerves okay how do you calm yourself down.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

The biggest thing i do is just listen to music and i i kind of get a sense of that too like leading up so i was here about maybe a week before we started actually competing because we had relay camp and everything so i think that was probably the longest week of my life because it was just like okay melissa you know you're ready to run there's no need to be anxious like just let the days go by and then the time difference here was crazy so the first couple of days it was like no matter how late i tried to go to sleep i was still waking up at four or five am and then it was like i finally got to the point to where i was waking up at six i'm like okay that's a little bit of progress but then it was just still like trying to get to the line so i think if anything like i don't be really really nervous i just be i just have like a lot of i be anxious in a sense but i'm also like you too like i i the minute i get to the warm up area and i start warming up i'm like okay let's do this like i'm ready.

[Host]

Now yeah you're in your element yes.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Exactly in my element where it's safe.

[Host]

I'M looking at this relay now i don't know who's gonna be on the relay i'm sure you and sha' carri because you guys made the finals you're the fastest woman in the world i don't know if we've seen a situation where the fastest woman in the world run lead off because you're such an outstanding starter and so you can make.

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[Host]

I don't know what you want to share because the relays are going to probably come after the two hundred so you'll probably have some other women that's going to you know qualify have you guys decided on a race order yeah.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

So it's pretty i would say it's pretty much set in stone i think what's going to end up happening is that this is just as of today obviously i know that i will be leading it off and then my train basically i'll be on the it'll be my training partners on the yep so me to tt to kayla white to sha' carri is the last i've heard of last i've heard of anything this is like unofficial okay so if something changes just say i i i'd okay that's what i'm saying disclaimer so think.

[Host]

About that ocho we got the fastest woman in the world running lead off hey the stagger already caught i don't know who y' all i don't know who hey we probably gonna get lane five but six seven and eight y' all need stand a chance y' all buy what you hey how many i'm switching them in that order cause you not gonna make me look bad and walk this have this stagger walk down on me cause once the head is caught what's behind stays behind that's what coach used to tell us son what is the head is caught what's behind stays behind cause you already know she gonna eat up that stagger cause ain't nobody else got their best runners on the first leg most people put their horses they put them at the second or they put them at the third occasionally they'll sprinkle the ankle leg but you could be so far behind it doesn't matter unless you usain but ain't nobody got no usain we got usain and she running first leg for the america hey hey you need to hit him hey hit him with that piece out hey just get the baton around the track that's all you got to do you we got the fastest four women let me take that back we got the fastest six women you take anybody six women that's currently going to be in this relay we got the fastest six get the sticks around the track that's all you got to do yep that's all we gotta do we got this we got this we gotta get cause we got it to a great start we won the goal and the woman's discus we won krauser won the shot his first his first his first meet all year all year three time olympic gold three time world champion only the second man to win three consecutive world championship oh we would do a what the hell are we done well or something didn't we oh we gonna win the goal we gonna hey we gonna get this goal in the one hundred meter hurdle too cordell tench i'm going on the record cordell ten.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Is gonna get the goal i'm going.

[Host]

With cordell i'm going with cordell yeah.

[Co-host/Commentator]

You going with cordell okay okay yeah.

[Host]

Okay okay yeah for sure he been running great he's really been he's the only one that's gone under thirteen have you had a lot of guys thirteen flat thirteen oh one thirteen oh five thirteen ten hey he can cover some ground so i'm going with cordell going with cordell you know what i'm saying cordell i mean so have so when you win the goal and you go back to your room could you rest or were you just so excited like you just looking at that like that.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Goal like damn so what's crazy is after after we do media and then the other things i waited we got back to the hotel room and then i actually had a chance to like meet up with my family and everything so my parents and i have aunts uncles and cousins out here too so i had a pretty good crowd of people to come all the way over here to support me wow that's awesome time with them and that was good and then by the time i think i got to bed maybe around three am but i was actually proud of myself i slept for six hours and i feel like that's when really yeah because last year after paris i slept for all of like three and then woke up the next morning was on my phone just checking everything so so.

[Host]

Have who who's dmed you and said congratulations is there any like celebs or other athletes or entertainers that's congratulated you.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Okay so i have i have one i have to make sure i say his last name right but his name is daniel i believe it's daniel daniel lebel daniel labelle so he who is he he's really big on social media he posts like different videos and it be like little funny stuff he'd be like i believe one time he raced against speed okay but yeah i just like his videos it's like he has like eight point one million followers and i thought he he messaged me he was like congratulations and i was like like oh my god thank you we.

[Host]

Got to get your followers up too we got to get you up into the three and four million yeah y' all do us a favor go follow give them give them your give them your tag give them your handle how can they find you on twitter okay.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Okay so on twitter my name is melissa m e l i s s a janae j a n a e twenty one okay and then on instagram ig oh yeah on ig it's melissaj.

[Host]

Nineteenth wow were you always fast melissa i mean growing up in south carolina could you i mean i don't know if you have siblings but were you the fastest girl in the neighborhood were you the fastest could you outrun the.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Boys some of them i could it was definitely like that but i was like always fast on like the level that i was so i went to a smaller school my high school i'm from the country so my high school was like we went back and forth between one a and two a and in south carolina you know that's like real small my graduating class was probably like my husband will laugh at me but it's probably like eighty kids yeah well i graduated with sixty okay so yeah so about eighty kids in my graduating class and then coastal carolina you know obviously is a smaller d one school the chanticleers yep shine sup and then so that was like a smaller d one school too so it's pretty much like i've lived the the underdog life of just you know being fast at the level that i am and being in that area then it wasn't until like twenty twenty two where everything like one meeting just literally changed everything.

[Host]

That'S because that's what i'm that's what i was that's what i wanted to ask you because you said i was fast for for where i was it wasn't like when you go look at sha' carri she's at texas at a big at a where they got three thousand kids and she runs what she runs and she goes to in her freshman year she wins the ncaa's or you see gabby thomas how she burst on the scene or you see sidney mclaughlin that wasn't the case for you when did you realize you could be a pro or was that always your goal to be a professional track and.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Field runner i didn't think that i could be a crazy enough i knew that one day i would go to the olympics i didn't know when but i just knew that i could because of a coach that i had in high school my freshman year high school probably i think it was my that was my second year doing high school track and then when i got to college and i had the coach there that's when i was like you know i think i want to do this is what i want to do for a living and i was i got to college the fall of twenty nineteen so that's when it really just was like okay i know this is what i want to do i don't know how i'm gonna get there but i'm gonna just trust the people around me to help me get me to where i'm supposed to be so and that's kind of how i went about it.

[Host]

Yeah but i'm looking you know when you choose to do something and it's just you because track and field is a really lonely it's you versus you it's you and your thoughts it's you and your training it's you and your nutrition so everything is dependent on you and ain't a whole lot of money in track and field i mean you can count it probably on like one hand maybe a usain that made a bunch of money or or simone biles or michael phelps michael johnson carl lewis it's not you know flush with money especially for the women and so i mean obviously you go to college you're like i'm gonna get a degree but why track and field you just had something deep down inside of you say you know what i can make a.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Living doing this yeah and then i say it all the time like i just like this is what i was this is what i'm here to do like i'm here to run i'm here yes this is my gift that i'm supposed to be sharing with the world and so the minute i got an understanding of that and realized like obviously the higher i go into sport the more sacrifice i'm going to have to make the more i'm going to be disciplined and like you say like obviously there's nowhere near as much money in our sport than there is in like football or basketball but it's also just the resources that you do have the money that you do have being smart with that and investing in yourself in order to make sure that you're becoming the best athlete that you could possibly be like i feel and i feel like it was so easy for me because i grew up always not having the resources that everybody else had never needed for anything i've always had what i needed but when it came to sports or the schools that i went to and things like that we never had the same resources as the bigger schools so it was just like okay melissa control the things that are in your control and then the things that are out of your control leave that to whoever it's supposed to be to and everything else will work itself out.

[Host]

Melissa i'm looking at you you're a thin you're a thin young lady so obviously you had to get stronger you had to get and i and i know women don't want to hear this but you'll know exactly what i'm talking about you had to get bigger you had to get stronger you were not strong enough to carry that that you needed to be able to propel yourself down the track so women don't don't beat me up shatter shark call a woman big say she need to get bigger but you'll understand what i'm talking about but you you needed to grow you needed to fill that frame out and you're still you you still a thin you're still a thin young lady but you're probably what fifteen pounds heavier than what you were probably in high school college.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

If that so what's crazy is i think weight wise well and that was because you got leaner so yeah i'm around the same way i was but i'm definitely yep have more of the muscle mass that i'm supposed to have but i've definitely leaned out this year because i started working with the chef and everything and just like really paying attention to what i you.

[Host]

Hear that ocho wow wow ocho she started working with a chef and now.

[Co-host/Commentator]

She the world champion wait a minute wait a minute she said she's working with a chef she didn't say what she was eating she ain't eating blue.

[Host]

Jive you don't look like that eating.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Bull jive mcdonald's.

[Host]

You like mcdonald's too yeah.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

I love mcdonald's but but sorry ocho i will say i i have not been eating fast food the last time i had fast food was before my wedding in and i said i wouldn't have any fast food until after i do all the things i want.

[Co-host/Commentator]

That'S okay that's okay no no no.

[Host]

No no no no don't try to.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Change you heard what she said right did you hear what she said did you hear what she said she had she hasn't had it since february that's okay because she was preparing for tonight or yesterday for that matter it's okay.

[Host]

No she she she ain't gonna have no fast food until she get back to the states but guess what she said you know what you see she said you know what ocho you know what i'm let me cut this fast food out and let me see just how great i can be that ain't.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Got nothing to do with it because she listen she was fast while she was eating it so she fast enough she's not eating it no you mad you mad cause you i bet you.

[Host]

She just told you she hasn't had fast food since her wedding since that.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Was she said february she been fasting all her life what you saying she.

[Host]

Wasn'T this fast she wasn't this fast.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Last year and the year before that.

[Host]

No she wasn't ran one hundred six.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Back to back eating mcdonald's so what you saying no she didn't she just.

[Host]

Tell you she had had mcdonald's since february she ran those times in june.

[Co-host/Commentator]

In july chicken mcnuggets i saw it.

[Host]

But so now you shift your focus to the two hundred there has not been a whole lot of women to win the world championship in the one hundred two is that has that crossed your mind you start putting yourself in very very elite company oh yeah no.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

The the goal this year is is i won't say was because it ain't done yet the goal this year is to win everything like i had two states i set up yep i set out that goal at the beginning of the year when i talked with my coaches and i said well you know obviously at first like for the two hundred because i'm a very realistic person too and i've fought back and forth with me running the two hundred for a long time but now i'm starting to embrace it so i'm like okay if you stop playing around then you can actually win the whole thing so it went from that to just telling my coaches like i want to be able to take the two hundred more serious to know i'm not only going to be like a contender like i want to be at the at the forefront you know like i want to be able to say like i came away with a gold medal in the two hundred and i know that the only other woman to do so at a world championships is shelly ann frazier.

[Host]

Pratt shelly ann who happens to be the greatest she's the greatest sprinter she is back to back eight and twelve she won the gold medal and then you got and then she got five world championships in the one hundred and she won the two hundred so she you're absolutely right that's why many labor her the greatest woman sprinter in the history of the sport and it's hard look it's hard to deny it i know elaine has won back to back hundreds and two hundreds bless her heart but when you look at the totality and the longevity she won a world championship in one hundred thirty five i.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Was in that race by the way it did last i remember there.

[Host]

Man melissa we're happy nightcap the family is very happy very pleased congratulations thank you thank you for taking time out of your schedule to come on and talk to us but yeah this is not the end so what's next after the world championships it's over your season's over now you go eat some mcdonald's or you go get some oxtails or you go get some shrimp at two f oh you from low country you down georgetown near charleston so you going you going to eat some some some ooh.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Rice neck bones that's what i'm talking.

[Host]

About that's even what i'm talking about.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

He waits i'm talking about yeah see.

[Host]

She down there them geeches she down there georgia she weighed hey ocho she'll tell you they got up when they when they brought us they got off the boat down there close to where she at man congratulations i know everybody in south carolina is very proud of you we're proud we're extremely proud of what you've been able to do but don't be satisfied be greedy oh yeah be greedy this is what i tell people they say well man they say shannon if you cheat on the test man you don't want to get them all right i said if i'm going to cheat i'm getting one hundred you there now don't be satisfied well i got one gold i'm happy if i win the silver the bronze no no no no no no double gold do something that very few and we don't know how think about it in the history of the world championships the world championship started in nineteen eighty three i don't know if you know this in nineteen eighty three in helsing i know only shelly ann has been able to back it up with the one hundred the two so you get an opportunity to do something that hadn't been in forty years of world championships who be special oh yeah congratulations thank you congratulations we're gonna be pulling for you we're gonna be watching hey when you get that two hundred gold come on back.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Come on back okay i'm coming back.

[Host]

Come on back all right we'll see you i'm coming back jefferson wooden the olympic champ the world championship one hundred meter gold medalist with the fourth fastest time ever run show us the battle.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Yeah i was just about to say.

[Host]

That you should have had the metal on the whole oh you got it in the box there you go there you go look at that.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Oh it's.

[Host]

Not yeah there we go there we go we can see it back it up from the camera so to focus back it up a little bit melissa okay hold on let there let me.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Just turn right there right there there.

[Host]

You go there you go that's nice.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Yeah got it last night round of.

[Host]

Applause melissa jefferson wood congratulations stay healthy hey get all of them two hundred four by one they might need a leg they might they might need a leg on the four x four but i told them to hold off please.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Hold off if they want to win they don't put me in there not this year i need some time i.

[Host]

Need some time well congratulations go enjoy the rest of the evening with your family your husband tell everybody at nightcap we said hello and we look forward to talking to you very very soon.

[Melissa Jefferson Wood]

Thank you.

[Host]

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