Melissa Jefferson-Wooden: From Saving Her Dad’s Life at 17 to Three Gold Medals in Tokyo at 24

As the dust settles on the 2025 World Athletics Championships, American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is reveling in what has been the most successful event of her career.

Jefferson-Wooden claimed three gold medals at this year’s Championships in Tokyo, Japan only the second female athlete to do the triple at a single event after the legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from Jamaica.

The 24-year-old won gold in 100m and 200m, the fourth woman in history to do it and the first American, and she put the icing on the cake by adding the 4x100m relay gold when she joined Team USA team-mates Kayla White, Twanisha Terry and Sha’Carri Richardson to deliver the medal.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

With the three gold medals, Jefferson-Wooden ended the Tokyo event as the most successful athlete as no one else won a hat-trick of titles but for the 24-year-old, it is more than a personal triumph.

Jefferson-Wooden has endured personal challenges as she nearly lost her father when she was still a teenager before she turned out to be the one who saved his life.

While still a high school junior, her father was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disorder that can lead to leukemia, if not properly treated, and he needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

However, no sample matched his after millions of tests and he had to turn to one of his six children, young Melissa preferred, going on to save her old man from the life-threatening illness.

“There was a really big chance that my dad's disorder could have developed into leukemia,” Jefferson-Wooden told AIPS Media.

“So for me to be able to be the one to save his life in a sense, just always means the world to me. It means so much because it could have been anybody, but obviously God chose me to be the one to do it.

“When I did donate to my dad at the age of 17, it was one of those things where I really wanted to be able to say like, hey, if I have an opportunity to help someone, my dad, do it. And that is what life is about.”

Jefferson-Wooden is her family’s favourite and her personality rubs off on the rest which has earned her the tag of “the perfect one” and she says saving her dad’s life did not give her any challenges as she is always ready to do anything for her loved ones.

“Doing what I did for my dad was obviously second nature, it was a no-brainer, but also at the end of the day it was my way of showing the type of person that I am. And so to have him here today, with 100% donor cells and he's fine, just means the world,” she added.

Jefferson-Wooden has grown up in a spiritual family as her parents are both preachers and that grounding has made her humble and allowed her to look at things differently from the rest of track and field stars.

The American track queen has now written history and many will feel that at 24, she is just getting started which is a great reward to her and her family which has felt her greatness since she was young.