'Literally Haunts Me' - Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Opens Up About Heartbreaking 2023 Moment

Triple world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has revealed how the disappointment of missing out on the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest became a major driving force behind her 2025 success.

At the time, Jefferson-Wooden placed fifth in the women’s 100m final at the US Championships and only featured in the 4x100m relay heats in Budapest.

The Olympic 100m bronze medallist had also endured a difficult outing at the 2022 World Championships on home soil, finishing eighth in the 100m final but helping the US women’s 4x100m relay team secure gold.

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In an interview with Citius Mag, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden admitted that the first half of the 2025 season was particularly challenging, as she faced personal uncertainty and struggled to find clarity about her goals and direction.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden admitted that she had found herself in a difficult place mentally, explaining that she was determined not to repeat the experiences of 2022 and 2023 in the 2025 season.

She said that failing to make the team in 2023 continued to haunt her, as it was a feeling she never wanted to experience again.

Despite knowing what it took to succeed mentally, she recalled moments when things still did not work out, which left her deeply frustrated.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden added that she began writing down her goals in a notebook, not entirely without belief, but with some hesitation and uncertainty about what was truly possible.

Jefferson-Wooden confessed that fear of the unknown initially held her back, but once she overcame that fear and embraced the uncertainty, everything began to fall into place.

“But then I was also in a weird spot because I didn't want what happened in 2022 or 2023 after I came off of 2022 to happen again in 2025. Like, me not making that team in 2023 literally haunts me. It was like I didn't ever want to experience that ever again,” she disclosed.

“That feeling of thinking like you know you've been there before, you know what it takes mentally, but it ain't working out. Like, I don't ever want to feel like that ever again. And so, I wrote down some goals in our book.

“I won't say not fully believing in them, but like I was still having my reservations about what I feel like could happen. So I was very scared of the unknown. And once I stopped being afraid of the unknown, that's when I got it together.”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden shared that she had jokingly told her training partners that she needed to figure out how to properly run the 200m before heading to Kingston, as she did not want to travel all the way to Jamaica and embarrass herself on national television.

She explained that after competing in Kingston, she felt a renewed sense of confidence, describing it as the moment she ‘knocked the cobwebs off’ and began to regain her rhythm.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden noted that from then on, she focused on consistency and steady progress. Most of her competitions were major Grand Slam meets, and her schedule was carefully managed; she would typically run two races, then return home for several weeks to train intensively before competing again.

This deliberate routine of racing, recovering, and refining her form helped her rebuild momentum and lay the foundation for her strong performances later in the season.

“So, I definitely had a couple of signs in fall training, but it was kind of like, like let's take it. Let's get through the practices, let's keep doing what we're doing. And then I got to kind of like a dead spot in training, like a month leading up to my wedding,” Melissa Jefferson-Wooden added.

“Obviously, my mind was kind of everywhere. So, it was like I was coming to practice and I was still doing good, but I wasn't doing the things that I really wanted to do. Like that's wedding planning.”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the women’s 100m event in a Championship Record time of 10.61 seconds, making her the fourth-fastest woman in history at the time.

She completed the sprint double, winning the 200m with a world-leading time of 21.68 seconds. She also contributed to the USA's victory in the women's 4x100m relay.