Melissa Jefferson-Wooden – the defending Pre Classic Champion – will return to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the 2026 Prefontaine Classic.
Jefferson-Wooden [Georgetown, South Carolina] will headline the Women’s 100m race on Saturday, July 4th, as part of the two-day event serving as the ninth stop on the 2026 Wanda Diamond League schedule.
Last year’s win in the Women’s 100m race at the Pre Classic sparked a career-best season for the former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer. A month after running a 10.75 to win the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, Melissa returned to Hayward Field for the 2025 USA Track & Field Championships to run an even faster 10.65. That time earned Jefferson-Wooden the American title and a spot on Team USA for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
In Japan, Jefferson-Wooden would achieve the rare sprinting Triple Crown with World Championships in the Women’s 100m, Women’s 200m and Women’s 4x100m relay. Those titles would make Melissa a five-time world champion on top of 4x100m relay titles from Oregon [2022] and Budapest [2023]. At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, she won a bronze medal in the Women’s 100m and gold in the 4x100m relay.
Jefferson-Wooden is currently ranked No. 1 in the world in the Women’s 100m. During the 2025 season, she dipped under 10.70 three times, including a 10.66 at the Silesia Diamond League, a 10.65 at the USA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field, and a World Championship-clenching 10.61 at Tokyo, which made her the fourth-fastest woman in history over 100m.
