BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran the fourth-fastest 200-meter time in history Sunday, 21.47 seconds, busting through the curve to wrap up a $300,000 weekend by completing the sprint double at Ultimate Championships.
Jefferson-Wooden looked shocked herself when she peered at the clock and saw the time. “Wow!” she said, before heading to the winner's circle to scoop up her second winner's trophy in two nights.
The only three faster
times were a pair by Jamaican two-time world champion Shericka Jackson and the world record, set by Florence Griffith Joyner. which has stood at 21.34 since 1988. In a sign that even that mark might be in jeopardy, Jefferson-Wooden's 21.47 came into a headwind. None of those other times did.
Moments earlier, Kenny Bednarek ran 19.52 to also complete the 100-200 double. The 19.52 is the best time in the world this season, though it wasn't quite as stunning as what the 25-year-old Jefferson-Wooden did in what is supposed to be an “off year” for track.
Earlier, Josh Kerr added the Ultimate Championship to his unforgettable season, grabbing the lead on the last lap and winning the 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 29.35 seconds.
Kerr adds the $150,000 first prize to the titles he won at world indoors in the 3,000 meters and the Commonwealth Games in the mile, along with the 27-year-old world record he broke earlier this summer, also in the mile.
Australia's Cameron Myers finished second, .33 seconds behind.
Olympic champion Cole Hocker, part of an ongoing drama in this event, finished fourth with a season-best time of 3:30.74. Kerr's biggest rival, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, won the 5,000 on opening night but withdrew from the shorter race the next day, saying his fitness wasn't good enough for two races in the wake of Achilles surgery earlier this year.
Kerr, who focused on the mile this season and extended his year by six weeks simply to run in Budapest, said he'd win no matter who was in the field. After hanging on the outside in the middle of the pack for most of the first three laps, he made his move and nobody was going to catch him.
Brazil's Alison dos Santos closed out his dominant season in style. Two weeks after setting the world record in the 400 hurdles, he cracked the 46-second mark again, finishing in 45.98.
It was only the third-ever sub-46 mark; the other belongs to Karsten Warholm (45.94) at the Tokyo Olympics. Dos Santos ran 45.80 on Aug. 27 in Zurich.
America's Rai Benjamin finished a distant second, but this felt like a win of sorts. Though much has been made of the $150,000 top prizes at Ultimate, Benjamin gets $75,000 for second to go with the $75,000 he won the night before, also finishing a distant second in the 400 flat.
“That was a crazy weekend. I feel like a lot of chatter online was, ‘He’s crazy, he's not going to medal, he won't do good in either event,'” Benjamin said. “But I believe in myself and I knew I could come out here and do something great. And I got the 150 anyway.”
Jacory Patterson opened up a nearly .4-second lead on the third lap and Aaliyah Butler widened it to help the Americans cruise to a win in the 4x400 mixed relay, giving them a sweep of the team events. The four winners split an $80,000 first prize.
Britain finished second and The Netherlands, which did not put Femke Broeders-Bol in the lineup, came in third.
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