Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edged Sha’Carri Richardson by one hundredth of a second in a Pre Classic 100m showdown between world champion training partners.
Jefferson-Wooden, who went undefeated in the 100m in 2025, clocked 10.78 seconds at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
“I’m always doubted,” Jefferson-Wooden said. “It’s never, ‘Melissa worked this hard, so she gets to reap the benefits of her reward.’ It’s because of something else. As much as people don’t want to talk about it, there’s an asterisk next to my name. The thing about it is, that doesn’t matter because I know who I am.”
Richardson, the 2023 World champion and 2024 Olympic silver medalist in the 100m, continued a strong early season by running 10.79. Last month, she clocked 10.77, the best time by an American in 2026.
The track and field season continues with the USATF Outdoor Championships from July 23-26 in New York City, airing on NBC Sports and Peacock.
Nikki Hiltz snaps Faith Kipyegon’s mile win streak
Also Saturday in the women’s mile, U.S. champion Nikki Hiltz became the first person to beat Kenyan Faith Kipyegon in a 1500m or mile track race in five years.
Hiltz overtook the triple Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the final stretch, clocking 4:17.49, 13 hundredths ahead of Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi and 31 hundredths in front of Kipyegon.
“Faith is so incredible, and she’s someone we obviously all look up to, and I’ve always thought it would be so cool to see if I could outkick her in the last 100, but she’s just always so far ahead,” said Hiltz, the first American to beat Kipyegon in a 1500m or mile since 2016 (Shannon Rowbury, Jenny Simpson). “It was just one of those moments where it was like, I think this might be the only time in my career where we can just, 100 meters to go, go head-to-head.”
Kipyegon later posted that she’s been dealing with a hamstring injury.
“It’s not easy to be on top every time,” said Kipyegon, who ran a 1500m or mile for the first time since October. “At the same time, to maintain winning every time, sometimes it’s good to get challenged. The challenges are good to keep you up and to wake you up that you have to do more and more, so I’m happy.”
Australian Cam Myers became, at 20, the youngest man to win the Bowerman Mile since 2009 (Kenyan Asbel Kiprop). He clocked 3:46.06 to prevail easily over American Yared Nuguse (3:46.61).
Tate Taylor, 18, upsets Olympic champ in 200m
Tate Taylor, 18, won the 200m over Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in a personal-best 19.75 seconds into a .9 meter-per-second headwind.
The only teenagers to ever run faster were American Erriyon Knighton (19.49 at age 18) and Australian Gout Gout (19.67 at 18).
Last year, Taylor broke the U.S. high school record in the 100m by running 9.92 seconds at the Texas State Championships.
“I literally said (to my coach before the race), ‘They cannot possibly come out here and expect me to win,’” said Taylor, who ran faster than Usain Bolt did as a teen (19.88).
Jamal Britt edged newly crowned world record holder Ja’Kobe Tharp in the 110m hurdles, 12.86 to 12.91.
Britt, a 27-year-old who has never made an Olympic or world team, lowered his personal best for the fourth time in the last three weeks. He is now the fifth-fastest man in history after starting the year outside the top 40.
Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell held off world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria in the 100m hurdles — 12.24 to 12.34. Last month, Russell ran 12.14, just two hundredths off Amusan’s world record.
In the 400m, Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi overtook American Rai Benjamin -- 44.00 to 44.11 -- in a duel between the world champions in the flat 400m and 400m hurdles.
NCAA champion Kayinsola Ajayi of Nigeria upset world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica in the 100m, 9.84 to 9.89.
Kenyan Lilian Odira overtook Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain in the 800m, just as she did at last September’s World Championships.
Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall extended a two-year long jump win streak to 18 consecutive meets — barely. She leaped 7.13 meters to prevail by one centimeter over Larissa Iapichino, who broke her mom Fiona May’s Italian record.
“I have depression. I have anxiety,” Davis-Woodhall said. “This week was really difficult. I couldn’t fathom just being here for some reason. I couldn’t get myself to envision it. So the fact that I showed up today, the fact that I even gave myself a chance is really big for me, and then to come out with a win, it just puts it in perspective that I just have to give myself a chance every single time. I have to show up for myself every single day because no one else will.”
In the hammer throw, China’s Zhang Jiale handed Canadian Camryn Rogers her first top-level competition defeat since the 2022 Worlds at Hayward.
Chase Jackson, the 2022 and 2023 World shot put champion, threw 20.56 meters to prevail over 2025 World champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands (second, 20.11) and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Yemisi Mabry of Germany (fifth, 19.14).
