"Mixed emotions" - Melissa Jefferson-Wooden makes her feelings known on Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track's LA cancellation

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden shared her honest reaction about the cancellation of the final leg of the Grand Slam Track series, which was scheduled to be held in Los Angeles from June 27 to 29. She was crowned the Grand Slam Track short sprints champion, earning $30,000 for her impressive campaign in the 100m and 200m.

Jefferson-Wooden ran a world-leading time and personal best in the women’s 100m, clocking 10.73 seconds at the third stop, Grand Slam Track Philadelphia. The athlete was set to compete in the fourth and final leg of the series, but it was canceled due to economic concerns.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden voiced her thoughts on the cancellation of the event. She admitted she was initially sad but understood that the decision had been made for valid reasons.

“It was kind of a bit of mixed emotions. Like, part of me was obviously sad, but I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s the end of the world’. Like, I didn’t go to, like, ‘Oh my gosh, are we ever going to have this again?’ It was just kind of like, okay, if they’re canceling it, it is for a reason. But I know, like, just the people who have their hand on Grand Slam Track — it’s something that they want to be around for a long time," Melissa Jefferson-Wooden said (0:44 onwards via CBC Sports).

She further added about the challenges that come with startups and how it’s necessary to take things slow and evaluate before moving forward. The 24-year-old pointed out that while decisions like this may seem disappointing now, they will pay off in the long run.

“And I think a lot of the times people forget, like, you know, with startups, there come challenges, there come things where you have to just sit down and evaluate, like, ‘Hey, okay, for the longevity of this, this is probably the best decision for now’. Like, even though to the public eye it looks really bad sometimes, but it’s like, in the grand scheme of things, it’s going to work out later on down the line.”

Jefferson-Wooden also secured two medals at the Paris Olympics: a bronze in the women’s 100m and gold in the 4x100m relay.

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Melissa Jefferson-Wooden takes Grand Slam Track cancellation in stride

Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Tamari Davis compete in Grand Slam Track - Philadelphia - Source: Getty

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden was named the Grand Slam Track short sprints champion. She began her Grand Slam Track campaign with a 100m win in Kingston, then followed it up with dominant performances in the next two stops. In her last race, she secured double wins in the 100 and 200m.

Her double sprint victory at Philadelphia brought her total Grand Slam points to 48, securing the overall title. In the aforementioned interview, she candidly shared how the LA track cancellation ended up in her favor:

“So then once I processed that part of it, I was kind of like, okay. And I was just happy — I was like, ‘Oh wow, wait — well, technically, I finished as race of, so it worked out for me," Jefferson-Wooden said.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will next compete at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday, July 5, facing Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m.