In short
“Best of Track World Athletics Championships Part 2” preview and reaction, focused on sprint events—especially the men’s 200m (Noah Lyles vs. Oblique Seville, with talk of Kishane Thompson/Tobogo) and the women’s 100m/200m. It also includes a segment on the 4x100 relay order and broader championship predictions.
Guests/backgrounds
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, U.S. sprinter (world-class 100m/200m). She joins from Tokyo, after winning bronze in Paris and running 10.61 in Tokyo (fourth-fastest women’s 100m time ever). Host also discusses other athletes (Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Sha’Carri Richardson, Tia Clayton, Julian Alfred, Dina Asher-Smith, Sharika Jackson, etc.).
Key claims
Jefferson-Wooden says her strategy is “survive and advance,” then “drop the hammer” in finals; she believes she could run sub-10.6 with a +1.5 tailwind. She argues her win depends on not falling/start-failing. She targets winning the 100 and 200 at Worlds, citing Shelly-Ann as the only woman to do both at Worlds.
Notable examples
Jefferson-Wooden cites her strongest acceleration/transition, a weaker start, and a race where Tia Clayton challenged her late. Host predicts Noah will win gold/silver in the 200 if fit; Jefferson-Wooden expects the U.S. relay lead-off to be her.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOJamaica's Sprinting Dominance
0:00 to 1:30
Discussion on Jamaica's sprinting history and achievements in athletics.
“Hey, don't think I didn't see what y 'all said, Jamaica, but we about to get that gold medal.”
Debate on Current Sprinting Champions
1:30 to 3:10
Exploration of current sprinters and their competitions leading up to the championships.
“Usain, I don't even have to say anything.”
Analyzing 200m Race Potential
3:10 to 4:55
Discussion on the contenders for the 200m race and the dynamics of racing strategy.
“Christian go see him in the 200 y 'all want some y 'all want smoke yeah all my fellow Jamaicans you know I love you I love you every last one of you I get them Jamaican oxtails at least once a month yeah what go on Yeah.”
Introduction of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
4:55 to 6:32
Introduction of Olympic medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and her achievements.
“You got to get your body conditioned to run those four rounds.”
Melissa's Race Strategies and Goals
6:32 to 10:00
Melissa discusses her race strategies and potential for future performances.
“She says, I want to reach my maximum potential.”
Reflections on Performance and Improvement
10:00 to 14:01
Discussion on areas for improvement in racing and lessons learned from competition.
“You just needed a little bit more favorable conditions, and I believe you go sub 10-6.”
Melissa's Confidence and Strategy
14:01 to 14:54
Melissa Jefferson discusses her confidence in her performance and race strategy.
“The only way, the only person that can beat Melissa Jefferson wouldn't is if I fall start, if I don't fall start, they can't see me.”
Preparing for the Diamond League
15:06 to 16:18
Discussion on the importance of preparation and the pressures of competing.
“Is it a situation, MJ, that maybe you get a Diamond League meet where you don't have to run the rounds?”
Setting and Achieving Goals
16:19 to 17:24
Melissa reflects on her goals for the year and her achievements in sprinting.
“We got some, so you're in a very elite company.”
Conditions and Performance
17:35 to 18:21
The impact of weather conditions on sprint performances is discussed.
“That was my end goal for the 200 for me this year.”
Show all 25 chapters
Championship Mindset
18:22 to 20:31
Melissa shares her mindset leading up to the championships and her preparation.
“So you got everything that you could possibly hope for.”
The Race Experience
20:32 to 22:01
Melissa describes her experience during the championship race and her racing instincts.
“That horse knows he's in a competition against this other horse.”
Coping with Pre-Race Nerves
22:02 to 23:38
Melissa discusses how she manages nerves and stays focused before races.
“But I need to know I need to see with my own eyes that I actually won.”
Coping with Pre-Race Nerves
25:01 to 25:30
Melissa discusses how she manages nerves and stays focused before races.
“Choosing On Plus nicotine pouches over rough corners and edges.”
Relay Race Strategy Discussion
28:00 to 29:40
Learn about the strategic considerations for relay races and team dynamics.
“I don't know what you want to share because the relays are going to probably come after the 200.”
Celebrating Recent Achievements
29:40 to 31:00
Discussion on recent gold medal wins and standout performances.
“We got Usain, and she running first leg for the Americas.”
Post-Race Reflections and Congratulations
31:00 to 33:00
Melissa shares her post-race experience and reactions from fans and celebrities.
“He's really been, he's the only one that's gone under 13.”
Melissa's Journey to Professional Track
33:00 to 35:20
Discover Melissa's background and her evolution as a track athlete.
“Or you see Gabby Thomas, how she burst on the scene.”
Overcoming Challenges in Track and Field
35:20 to 37:40
Melissa discusses the sacrifices and challenges faced in pursuing her passion.
“But I just knew that I could because of a coach that I had in high school, my freshman year of high school.”
Nutrition and Training Insights
37:40 to 39:20
Insights into Melissa's nutrition and training regimen to enhance performance.
“So it was just like, okay, Melissa, control the things that are in your control.”
Setting Goals for the Future
39:20 to 41:00
Melissa talks about her aspirations and goals for upcoming competitions.
“But, but, sorry, Ocho, I will say, I, I have not been eating fast food.”
Celebrating Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's Legacy
42:05 to 44:35
Discussion on Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's achievements and significance in athletics.
“And then she got five world championships in the 100.”
Interview with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
44:36 to 45:55
Melissa discusses her journey, future goals, and recent success in the championships.
“Back it up from the camera so it'll focus.”
Interview with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
46:41 to 47:06
Melissa discusses her journey, future goals, and recent success in the championships.
“All right, we're going to need a plan here.”
Interview with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
48:11 to 49:01
Melissa discusses her journey, future goals, and recent success in the championships.
“Discover a spectacular island destination with crystal blue seas, endless sunshine, and the cool Bahamian breeze.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Shannon Sharpe: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 200. Let him know. Talk to him. Y 'all be talking. Y 'all make it seem like the Olympics just inserted 100 meters in 2008. When you say burst on the team, on the scene. Now, I'm not going to take anything from it. He's the greatest sprinter to ever live. Facts. I'm not going to take anything from it. but when it comes to sprinting and it's incredible what the Jamaicans have been able to do when you look at Ocho a country that size you're talking about what 4 million people and to have the greatest I mean and some of the women I mean you look at Shelly and Frazier I mean they've always had Merlene Otte she never won gold but you know she was always silver bronze on the Olympics and in the world championships.
0:54Shannon Sharpe:So they've had good sprinters.
0:59Shannon Sharpe:BCB, Veronica Cameron Brown, Shearron Stewart. They've had great women sprinters. So don't get me wrong. I don't want to say anything. But y 'all know what time it is, right? Y 'all know what time it is, okay? So you go back and look at the world championships, I'll say the last 15, 20 years, I mean, we right there. I know y 'all think the Jamaicans, you know been running things but go make a look at it go back and look it up i i know y 'all only go back to 2008 because you saying and i get all that but you know the olympics the modern olympics is 130 years old they first instituted the olympics the modern olympics in 1896
1:43I'm just, you know, I'm just saying, if you look at it, if you look at it, gold medal
1:54Shannon Sharpe:in the Olympics, gold medal in the world championships, I feel very comfortable. like yeah do y 'all have i feel y 'all have the greatest male and female woman sprinter of all time yes you saying is the greatest is the greatest male he's the greatest sprinter woman sprinter is shelly and praise your price absolutely i'm not arguing that i'm not i'm not i'm not arguing that shelly and is is unbelievable i mean five world championships two olympic goals uh uh a a a 200 meter championship two four by one championships. What's the argument? She's the greatest. Usain, I don't even have to say anything.
2:43Shannon Sharpe: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, we gonna see, we gonna try to make it, we gonna make it two for two. Sweepstakes. Hey, MJ got this. and y 'all already know got something for y 'all Oblique go see Noah in the 200 Christian go see him in the 200 y 'all want some y 'all want smoke yeah all my fellow Jamaicans you know I love you I love you every last one of you I get them Jamaican oxtails at least once a month yeah what go on Yeah. But y 'all be talking reckless, man. Look, I tell my AD ain't no upset.
3:37Shannon Sharpe:It is an upset. 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?
3:50Shannon Sharpe:It is. If you beat the champ, it's an upset. I'm not saying the oblique hadn't been running well. Noah hadn't been running. 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 of 100 meters. Didn't run a whole. And he's taught himself. He's a 200-meter specialist, like Usain, that taught himself how to be a good 100-meter runner, Ocho. But I gave Seville and Thompson the credit. They go under the goal. They said they did. They beat him.
4:24I'm worried. I'm worried. I'm worried about this 200. Why? Look.
4:29Shannon Sharpe:I'm waiting. He seems to be fit. So, look, we know about Noah. We know about Beneric. We know about Tobogo. I don't know if anybody else can really challenge those three. Noah seems to be, as he's run, and he had to run rounds, he's kind of run himself in condition where he needs to be because there's nothing like racing. You can get out there and practice all you want to, but you got to race. Right. You got to get your body conditioned to run those four rounds.
5:03and I like Noah Chances.
5:07Shannon Sharpe:We'll see. I love him. Now, I don't like him. I love his team. Yes, and if he doesn't win, it's going to be an upset. It is. I don't know what to Bogo, but, I mean, you talk about a guy that's won, what, three world championships.
5:26Shannon Sharpe:And everybody that's in this race, he has the fastest time. He's run 1931. He has the fastest time this year in 1963. Bignaric is close behind him in 1967, and then Tobogo is at, what, 1976. We know Tobogo has run, I think he ran 1941, 1943 at the Olympics. So we know Tobogo can run. We know he has 200-meter capabilities. He got DQ'd out of the 100 meters. But it's going to be interesting to see. God don't know it. Who want to bet something on it? Put something on it. Uh oh What y 'all got What y 'all got Jamaicans What y 'all want to put on this
6:09Shannon Sharpe:What y 'all want to put on Make a lot of 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 hundred We finna take gold and silver in the two hundred That's what we about to do Ocho That's what we about to do
6:32Shannon Sharpe:Ah, here she is. Here she is. Hey, joining us. The 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 1061 which is the fourth fastest time ever run by a woman we got uh flojo who ran 1049 at the at the usa's in indy and in 2021 i don't know what was in the water because you got elaine thompson harrow run 1054 in eugene and then you had shelly ann fraser price the pocket rocket run 1060 in lazon 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 10 I believe you can go sub 10 6 you had a negative head win I believe if you get that plus you get a plus one you get a plus one five you go intense you go in sub 10 6 do you believe that congratulations tell us how you before we get into that how you feeling I'm feeling good thank y 'all I told you I was coming back you told you hey you say I said when you win that gold medal that I said when you win the gold medal Make sure you come back and tell us about it.
7:56Oh, yeah.
7:56Shannon Sharpe:And your Wi-Fi is perfect. Listen, 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 can play Cardew.
8:10Shannon Sharpe:So, obviously, is your coach over there with you? So, tell me your strategies. So, obviously, it's survive and advance. You're trying to be as efficient as you're possible. I'm not trying to expend 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 and advance, doing as little 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 possible. And then when you get to that last round, it's just about who can put together the perfect race at the perfect time.
8:46and 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.
8:56Shannon Sharpe:Do you believe if you get a positive tailwind, you could have gone sub 10-6? Absolutely. I thought I was going to run 10-5 if I'm being honest. I knew it. Really? Hold on. Hold on. 10-5-8? 10-5-5? Or lower than that? If I'm being completely honest, I thought that I had a chance to run anywhere between 1052 and 1055 with the right tailwind. Well, now you're talking about the right tailwind. You're probably going to need probably about a 1.5. And a 1.5 would probably got you what you wanted, probably a 1055, maybe a little lower. But I felt that with the women in this race, you look at Julianne Alfred of St.
9:46Shannon Sharpe:Lucian, you look at Tia Clayton. So you had the women. Tallulah is always dangerous from the Ivory Coast. She's dangerous. Dina Asher Smith, she's dangerous. Your training partner, Sha 'Carri, she's run 1065. There's not a whole lot of women that's run sub 107. She's won. 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 10-6. 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.
10:25Like I probably could have been a tad bit more explosive coming out the blocks or, you know, just running through. Well, I ran through my transition very well. I feel like the weakest part of my race the other night was probably the start. Yes, I would agree. 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, the biggest advantage that I can have for myself is to put it away in the first 30 meters. So 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.
11:04And then you take my start, make it a little bit more aggressive of how the rest of the race went for me, then I probably would. I probably wouldn't have needed a win. I probably wouldn't have needed a tailwind to run to a fine. Matter of fact, I don't know.
11:16Shannon Sharpe:Boy, that finish. Tia Clayton pulled up. She's like, where you going? Let me get up out of here. Where you going? You ain't finna get there. That's me. Hey, MJ, when it comes to racing, you know it's having a game plan when you're going against women that are great as those that you went against today? Or, well, it's 1.30. It's 1.38 out there, huh? It's, yeah, it's like 2.30. It's like 2.30 in the afternoon here on Wednesday. No, Tuesday. You always have a game plan going to a race like that. What part of the race is your strength, would you say? I would like to say my strength in my race is my 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 like 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 uh 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 to keeping up with my frequency like i've always had the frequency but in the past um i just wasn't strong enough to be able to meet or let it get the uh 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 uh 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 um I feel like my acceleration and my transition was probably like the best I've ever had yeah when when you look at a race and and and and training I'm sure your coach is drilling your head there's two ways to increase speed stride length and stride frequency.
13:24Shannon Sharpe: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 40 steps to run a hundred meters. So when you, when you, 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 a Tobago had false started? Is that in the back of your mind? Like, look, I am not going to blow this. I still believe I'm even with these women in this race, you got to Lou and you got Alfred and you got Clayton and you got Sharika Jackson and you got Sha 'Carri.
13:59Shannon Sharpe: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 wouldn't is if I fall start, if I don't fall start, they can't see me. They got, they can't get nothing but tailpipes today. And it is true because I think it's crazy because, because I did the same thing at U.S. 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 U.S. Trials. But even, like, going through the rounds at U.S. Trials, I was very, like, I played it safe with all of my starts through the rounds.
14:43But it was just, I think, like, I agree with you. I think that I know what I have in a 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'd be it's a little bit too, too much. So, yeah.
15:06Shannon Sharpe:Is it a situation, 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. Because even though you're trying to be as efficient as possible, you're still moving at a pretty good rate.
15:40Shannon Sharpe:You're still burning gas, so to speak. And so do you think? a 10 five it was possible but what do you think about if you just get that one race so you know what this is 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 you only get empty the tank yep empty the tank that's literally it when you when you think about it no american woman and We've had some fast, only one American woman has ever won faster than your 1061. Carmeletta, good friend, hey, she's running 1064. We got Sha 'Carri at 1065. We got Marion Jones at 1065.
16:21Shannon Sharpe:We got some, so you're in a very elite company. I believe in the next year, maybe two, you're going to join Elaine and Flojo, that 10-4, 10-5 is group. Have you thought about it? When you when you wrote your goals down coming into this year with 10-5 on that paper. So 10-5 this year, writing down my goals, 10-5 wasn't on the paper. 10-6 definitely was, though. I had I wrote down 10-68. And then when I ran 10-65 at trials, it was kind of just like, oh, well, excuse you. You know what you're talking about, actually. So so. 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.
17:13And 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 200. Like I ran 20. I had written down 21.9. That was my end goal for the 200 for me this year. And I ran 21.99 in rain and 68 degree weather. So I'm like, OK, Melissa, like, what are you actually talking about?
17:53Like, what do you actually think, you know? Right.
17:56Shannon Sharpe:So those are not favorable conditions. Cold and rain. The last thing a sprinter wants to see. Now, a distance runner, he OK with the cool. Yeah, he's like, let's have a date. 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, 75. I do 75. Yeah. Give me a little nice little tailwind. But you don't want windy. You don't want rain. You slip it 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 Lafford has run 1070. You know, Sharika Jackson run 1065. Shelly Ann has run 1060.
18:33Shannon Sharpe:Toulouse had run 1070, I think 1075. She's run a monster time. So you got everything that you could possibly hope for. You're like, you know what? You're looking around, you're like, yeah. You're like, yeah.
18:49Shannon Sharpe:barbecue chicken I mean were you feeling good so how did you feel going into how did you feel coming into the championship 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 when I knew Melissa when you put back to back 10 sixes I said ain't about a whole lot there ain't been a whole lot of women I can back up 10 six with another 10-6. When you back that up, I said, if she don't fall start, ain't nobody beating her. Mm-hmm. Is that when you knew you was ready to run fast? Really fast? I, I think I knew after I ran Philly's Grand Slam that this was going to be, like, 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 it was the rematch of the olympic podium um very much so uh it almost looked pretty identical to the um 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 we were, they were about to walk us out for the final.
20:12And 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 thing I said before I got to the line and then after the gun went off
20:38Shannon Sharpe:it was just like well here we go I don't 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 Tia Clayton challenge you it's almost like race horses because a lot of times talking to Bob Baffert and some famous trainers Ocho they say they'll tell their 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 pulled up to his bumper. And he knows he's there. Now he gets another gear. Melissa, when Tia Clayton pulled up, I was like, okay.
21:13Shannon Sharpe:I said, oh. And then you're like, where are you? Do you act? Where are you going? I ain't even hit this turbo. I ain't dropped this nitrous on you yet. Boo. Boo. I said, well, damn. Did you know? Have you rewatched the race? Did you see that you got another gear? Did you see that for your own 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, OK, 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.
21:56I just went 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 gale. It was just about really like just trying to trying to stay clear of everybody 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. My 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.
22:31Before a race like that, before you go in the blocks, is there are your nerves OK? How do you calm yourself down? The biggest thing I do is just listen to music. And 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, OK, 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 a.m.
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23:10And then it was like I finally got to the point to where I was waking up at six. I'm like, OK, 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'd be anxious in a sense, but I'm also like you too. Like I'll, I'll, the minute I get to the warmup area and I start warming up, I'm like, okay, let's do this. Like I'm ready now. Yeah.
23:39Shannon Sharpe:You're in your, you're in your element. Yes, exactly. In my element. We're safe. I'm looking at this relay. Now, I don't know who's going to be on the relay. I'm sure you and Sha 'Carri because you guys made 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 when you're moving like I do, trips don't always come together weeks in advance. Sometimes production shoots, interviews, or something I've got to travel for on a short notice, like the time when I had the last minute trip to Denver.
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28:01Shannon Sharpe:I don't know what you want to share because the relays are going to probably come after the 200. So you'll probably have some other women that's going to qualify. Have you guys decided on a race order? Yeah, 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 training basically I'll be on it'll be my training partners on the TT yep so me to TT to Kayla White to Sha 'Carri is the last I've heard of last I've heard of anything nothing we're in trouble we're about to get to go we're about to get to go this is like unofficial okay so if something changes just say I'd I'd I'd okay that's what I'm saying disclaimer so think about that Ocho we got the fastest woman in the world running lead off.
28:57Shannon Sharpe:Hey, the stagger already caught. I don't know who y 'all got. I don't know who. Hey, we're probably going to get lane five, but six, seven, and eight, nine. Y 'all leave stand-up chairs. Y 'all buy what you're, hey. I'm switching them in order because you're not going to make me look bad and have this stagger walk down on me because what's ahead is caught, what's behind stays behind. That's what Coach used to tell her. Son, what is ahead is caught, what's behind stays behind because you already know she's going to eat up that stagger because ain't nobody else got their best runners on the first leg.
29:28Shannon Sharpe: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're Usain. But ain't nobody got no Usain. We got Usain, and she running first leg for the Americas. Y 'all, hey, hey, you need to 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 we got to do yep that's all we got to do we got this we got this we got it we got it to a great start we won the gold in the women's discus we won the Krauser won the shot his first his first meet all year three time Olympic gold three time world champion only the second man to win three consecutive world championships oh we been doing hey we done a lot of gold or something didn't we oh we gonna win the gold hey we gonna get this gold in the 100 meter hurdle too Cordell Tins.
30:45Shannon Sharpe:I'm going on the record. Cordell Tins going to get the goal. I'm going with Cordell. I'm going with Cordell. Yeah. You going with Cordell? Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah, for sure. He's been running great. He's really been, he's the only one that's gone under 13. I mean, a lot of guys, 13 flat, 13-01, 13-05, 13-10. Hey, he can cover some ground. so I'm going with Cordell going with Cordell you know what I'm saying Cordell 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 goal like damn so what's crazy is after we do media and then the other things I've 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 so I spent some time with them and that was good and then by the time I think I got to bed maybe around 3 a.m.
31:56but I was actually proud of myself I slept for six hours and I feel like that's a win 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
32:08Shannon Sharpe:so so who's dm'd you and said congratulations have is there any like celebs or other athletes or entertainers that's congratulated you 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 okuya daniel labelle daniel LaBelle so he um who is he he's really big on social media he posts like different videos and it's it'd be like little funny stuff it'd be like um um I believe one time he raced against speed okay um but yeah I just like his videos it's like uh he has like eight one point eight point one million followers and I saw he he messaged me he was like congratulations and I was like like oh my god thank you we got to get your followers up too we got to get you up into the three and four million yeah hey y 'all do us a favor go follow uh give me give me your give them your tag give them your handle how can they find you on twitter uh okay okay so on twitter my name is at melissa m-e-l-i-s-s-a janae j-a-n-a-e 21 okay and then on instagram yeah on ig it's at underscore underscore melissa j19 wow were you always fast melissa i mean growing up in south carolina uh what could you i mean you i don't know if you have siblings but were you the were you the fastest uh uh girl in the neighborhood were you the fastest could you outrun the boys some of them 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 uh my high school I'm from the country so my high school was like we went back and forth between 1a and 2a and in South Carolina you know that's like real small my graduating class was probably with like my husband will laugh at me but it's probably like 80 kids yeah well I'm graduating with 60.
34:13Okay so yeah so about 80 kids in my graduating class and then Coastal Carolina you know obviously is a smaller D1 school the shanty clears yep shan's up and then um so that was like a smaller d1 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 2022 where everything like one knee just literally
34:40Shannon Sharpe:changed everything 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 shakari she's at Texas at a big, where they got 3 ,000 kids and she runs what she runs and she goes to, in a freshman year, she wins the NCAAs. 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 field runner? I didn't think that I could be a, crazy enough, I knew that one day I would go to the Olympics.
35:19I didn't know when. But I just knew that I could because of a coach that I had in high school, my freshman year of high school. I think it was my that was my second year doing a 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 2019. So that's when it really just was like, OK, I know this is what I want to do. I don't know how I'm going to get there, but I'm going to just trust the people around me to help me get me. to where I'm supposed to be.
35:51So, and that's kind of how I went about it.
35:53Shannon Sharpe: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 Simone Biles or Michael Phelps, Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis. It's not, you know, flush with money, especially for the women. And so why, I mean, obviously you go to college, you're like, I'm going to get a degree.
36:34Shannon Sharpe:But why track and field? You just had something deep down inside of you. You said, you know what? I can make a 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 in the sport, the more sacrifice I'm going to have to make, the more I'm going to have 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.
37:09but it's also just um the resources that you do have the money that you do have being smart with that and um 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 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.
37:47And 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.
37:54Shannon Sharpe:Melissa, I'm looking at you. You're a thin young lady. So obviously you had to get stronger. You had to get, 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. You needed to be able to propel yourself down the track. So women don't beat me up. She had a sharp call to a woman big, say she didn't get bigger. But you'll not understand what I'm talking about. But you needed to grow. You needed to fill that frame out. And you're still a thin young lady, but you're probably, what, 15 pounds heavier than what you were probably in high school college if that if that so what's crazy is i think um weight wise well and that was because you got leaner so yeah i'm i'm around the same way i was but i'm definitely i have 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 need.
38:56You hear that, Ocho?
38:57Shannon Sharpe:Wow. Wow, Ocho. She started working with a chef. And now she the world of chef. 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 bull jive. You don't look like that eating bull jive. McDonald's. You like McDonald's too? I love McDonald's. Yeah.
39:21I 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 February. And I said, I wouldn't have any fast food until after I do all the things I want. See, that's okay. That's okay. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't try to change it. Don't try to change it. You heard what she said, right? Did you hear what she said? Did you hear what she said? she hasn't had it since February that's okay because she was preparing for tonight or yesterday for that matter
39:58Shannon Sharpe:no 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 let me cut this fast food out and let me see just how great I can be that ain't got nothing to do with it because she listen she was fast while she was eating it so she's faster now that she's not eating it. No, you're mad. You're mad because you... She just told you. She hasn't had fast food since her wedding. That was, she said February. She's been fast all her life. What you saying? She wasn't this fast. What? She wasn't this fast. She was fast last year and the year before that.
40:38The year before that. No, she wasn't. No, she ran 10-6 back-to-back eating McDonald's. So what you saying? No, she... Did she just tell you she had to have McDonald's since February?
40:48Shannon Sharpe:She ran those times in June. In July. She had chicken McNuggets. I saw it.
40:57Shannon Sharpe:But so now you shift your focus to the 200. There has not been a whole lot of women to win the world championship in the 102. Has that crossed your mind? You start putting yourself in very, very elite company. Oh, yeah. no the the goal this year is it is I won't say was because it ain't done yet the goal this year is to win everything like 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 200 because I'm a very realistic person too and I've fought back and forth with me running the 200 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 200 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 and the 200 and i know that the only other woman to do so at a world championships is shelly and fraser pratt shelly who happens to be the greatest she's the greatest sprinter She is back-to-back 8-12.
42:10Shannon Sharpe:She won the gold medal. And then she got five world championships in the 100. And she won the 200. So 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 100th and 200th. Bless her heart. But when you look at the totality and the longevity, longevity. She won a world championship in 135. I was in that race, by the way. And at last, I remember there. 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.
42:59Shannon Sharpe:But yeah, this is not the end. So what's next? After the world championships, it's over. Your season's overnight you go eat some McDonald's or you go get some oxtails or you go get some shrimp and two fish. Oh, you're from low country. You down Georgetown near Charleston. So you're going to eat some, some, some, some. Ooh. Rice, neck bones. That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about. He waits. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, see, she down there in Georgetown. She down there in Georgetown. She way down. See, hey, Ocho, you tell you, they got up, when they brought us, they got off the boat down there close to where she at.
43:38Shannon Sharpe: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 say, if I'm going to cheat, I'm getting 100. You there now. Don't be satisfied. well, I got one goal. I'm happy if I win a silver to bronze. No, no, no, no, no, no. Double goal. Do something that very few, and we don't know how soon. Think about it. In the history of the World Championships, the World Championships started in 1983.
44:14Shannon Sharpe:I don't know if you know this. In 1983 in Helsinki, I know. Only Shelly Ann has been able to back it up with the hundred and the two. So you get an opportunity to do something that hadn't been in 40 years of World Championships. Whew. It'd be special. congratulations thank you congratulations we're gonna be pulling for you we're gonna be watching hey when you get that 200 gold come on back okay come on back all right we'll see you Jefferson Wooden the Olympic the world championship 100 meter gold medalist oh wait fastest time ever run show us the medal yeah I was just about to say that You should have had the medal on the whole.
45:00Shannon Sharpe:I'm sorry. There you go. There you go. Look at that. Oh, it's not. Yeah, there we go. There we go. We can see it. Back it up from the camera so it'll focus. Back it up a little bit, Melissa. Oh, okay. Hold on. There. Let me just turn. Right there. Right there. There you go. There you go. That's nice. Yeah. Got it last night. Round of applause. Melissa Jefferson Wood. Congratulations. Stay healthy. Hey, get all of them. 100, 200, 4x1. They might need a leg. They might need a leg on the 4x4, but I told them to hold off. Please hold off. If they want to win, they don't put me in there. Not this year.
45:42I need some time. I need some time.
45:45Shannon Sharpe:Well, congratulations. Go enjoy the rest of the evening with your family and your husband. Tell everybody at NICAP we said hello, and we look forward to talking to you very, very soon. Thank you.
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From the publisher
Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson break down the biggest moments from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo! Unc & Ocho sit down with 100m World Champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Olympic medalist Fred Kerley, plus react to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s historic 400m record-breaking performance.
0:00 - Unc's message for Jamaica
6:27 - Melissa Jefferson-Wooden joins the show
24:05 - USA Women's relay race order unveiled
31:55 - Track & Field being a lonely sport
40:44 - Melissa shows off her medal
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
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