JEFFERSON-WOODEN AND BEDNAREK TAKE 100M TITLES AS SEVILLE WINS SILVER FOR JAMAICA
By Khimani Clarke | Budapest
September 12, 2026, 2:39pm
Day 2 of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship delivered fireworks on the track, with American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden producing the performance of the night and Jamaica enduring a bittersweet evening in the sprints and field events.
Jefferson-Wooden was in a class of her own in the women’s 100m final, storming to gold in a world-leading 10.62 seconds. The American, with a sharp reaction time of 0.163, was clear by 40 metres and never looked back.
St Lucia’s Julien Alfred took silver in 10.74, while Sha’Carri Richardson of the USA claimed bronze in 10.76.
It was a tough finish for Jamaica, with Jonielle Smith the top Jamaican in fourth in 10.94. Her reaction time of 0.137 gave her the edge over teammate Tina Clayton, who also clocked 10.94 but finished fifth with a reaction time of 0.141, the pair separated by just four thousandths of a second.
Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken was sixth in 11.06, while Jamaica’s Lavanya Williams finished seventh in 11.07.
The men’s 100m final saw American Kenneth Bednarek capture the grand prize in a season’s best 9.85 seconds. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, slow out of the blocks with a 0.138 reaction time, closed furiously but ran out of room, taking silver in 9.90.
The USA’s Ronnie Baker was third in 9.93 (.923), just ahead of Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi, who clocked the same time, 9.93 (.927), for fourth.
There was disappointment for Jamaica in the men’s long jump final, as former world champion Tajay Gayle missed out on the final three jumps after failing to advance among the top four. Gayle finished fifth overall with a best of 7.90m.
Greece’s Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou won gold with 8.35m, just ahead of Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sarâboyukov, who took silver with 8.34m. Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer claimed bronze with 8.07m, while Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov was fourth with 7.94m.
In the women’s pole vault, American Sandi Morris cleared 4.90m to equal her season’s best and take gold. Switzerland’s Angelica Moser and Slovenia’s Tina Sutej rounded out the podium.
Earlier in the evening, Switzerland’s Audrey Werro produced a front-running masterclass to win the women’s 800m, holding off Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson in a highly anticipated showdown.
Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska won the women’s 1500m, while Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi delighted the home crowd in the women’s javelin, throwing a national record of 68.92m to secure gold on home soil.
Action continues tomorrow with more finals on Day 3.
