Bednarek Remains Unbeaten In Grand Slam Track, Runs 9.86; Jefferson-Wodden Lowers PR To 10.73 At Franklin Field

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photos by John Nepolitan

The world’s fastest man and woman won’t be determined until more than three months from now in Tokyo.

As of June 1 in Philadelphia, though, those designations apply to Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.

Both sprinters ran world-leading 100-meter times Sunday, smashing Franklin Field records and punctuating the third Grand Slam Track meet with an exclamation point.

Kenny Bednarek raised his series record to 6-0, blasting to a time of 9.86 seconds. That tied the world lead set Friday by Ghanaian sprinter Abdul-Rasheed Saminu of South Florida in the NCAA East Regional at Jacksonville, Fla.

Bednarek, 26, has heretofore been known as a 200-meter sprinter. He has three global silver medals at that distance, including one from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Still, he has been a breakout performer of the new series. Despite the slowest reaction time, he tied for 12th on the all-time U.S. list in a race run with temperatures in the 60s and barely any wind (+0.8).

“We still got a lot more to go,” Bednarek said. “We’re not even peaked yet. I’m just giving you a taste.”

Jamaica’s Bryan Level was second in 10.02 and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes third in 10.05. Former world champion Christian Coleman was first at 20 meters before finishing fourth in 10.12.

Jefferson-Wooden, 24, a former Coastal Carolina sprinter, has been a specialist in the 100. She won bronze at Paris.

Yet no one could have foreseen a 10.73, tying for 10th on the all-time list and No. 5 among Americans. By comparison, that is .01 off the personal best by Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.

Jefferson-Wooden, too, is 6-0 after Kingston, Miami and Philly. She ran a windy 10.75 (+2.4) at Miramar, Fla., on May 2.

“I’m learning so many new things about myself,” she said. “The way I go about training, the way I’m staying disciplined even when I’m not feeling my best. And this is all coming together.”

Men: Kerr overtakes Hocker in 1,500

Elsewhere in men’s races:

>> Short distance: Cole Hocker’s kick didn’t bring him victory, but it was the closest he has come since Paris gold.

In a reversal of the Olympic outcome, Britain’s Josh Kerr seized the lead late for his second slam 1,500 win, clocking 3:34.44. Hocker was second in 3:34.51. Their respective last 200s were 25.87 and 26.19.

“That was just a really fun homestretch,” Kerr said. “It’s an interesting track. A lot of thinking going on today.”

Hobbs Kessler was third in 3:34.91. Canada’s Marco Arop, after winning the 800, took the overall win by placing fourth in 3:35.38.

Josh Hoey was fifth in 3:35.45. Yared Nuguse, on his 26th birthday, was sixth in 3:35.59.

Arop and Hoey, the half-milers, were 1-2 with 200 meters left.

Hocker said he reasoned they could not hold on to the end. Chiding himself for placing sixth in Saturday’s 800, he forged the pace before 300 meters elapsed.

“I didn’t give myself a chance to win it. At all,” he said of the 800. “So today, that was my goal. I’m going to race it. The result is going to be where it is, where I’m at in training.

“But you’re going to have to race today. But only one guy got me today. I can walk away from this feeling you had to work hard to beat me.”

Hocker is winless in nine outdoor races since Paris. He is aiming for September’s World Championships at both 1,500 and 5,000. To that end, he will race a 5,000 at Stockholm on June 15 ahead of the last slam, set for June 28-29 at Los Angeles.

“If I can work this low end, I have faith in the long end of it,” Hocker said. “And the ‘15’ is right in the middle of it. This is all working that fast-twitch muscle that I try not to neglect, ever.”

>> Long distance: In his slam debut, Nico Young ran the final 200 in 25.61 to win a tactical 3,000 in 8:01.03. (By comparison, Tayvon Kitchen won the Oregon high school title Friday in 7:58.92.) Young covered the last 800 in 1:51.33 to beat runner-up Sam Gilman, 8:01.70. Former collegiate star Graham Blanks, also in his slam debut, was fifth in 8:03.22. Grant Fisher pulled out shortly before the race.

>> Long sprints: Fifth in the 200 was enough for Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith to score a 16-15 victory over Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic. Hudson had won the 400 in 44.51. Ogando took the 200 in 20.13, followed by Trinidadian sprinter Jereem Richards in 20.34. Richards had 14 points.

>> Short hurdles: After winning the110 hurdles, Jamal Britt secured overall victory by taking second in the 100 in 10.50 (-1.9 headwind). Trey Cunningham, also winner of the 100 at Miami, was first in 10.36.

>> Long hurdles: Trevor Bassitt won the flat 400 in 45.47, ending Alison dos Santos’ perfect season and taking the $100,000 first prize. Bassitt, second in the 400 hurdles outscored dos Santos 20-18. The Brazilian was third in the 400 in 45.63.

Women: Nugent tops McLaughlin-Levrone in 100

>>Short hurdles: Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent followed her victory in the 100 hurdles with another in the 100 dash, running 11.11. Sydney McLauglin-Levrone, dropping down from the long hurdles, was second in 11.21. She was racing 73 miles from her hometown of Dunellen, N.J.

“It’s honestly been a few years since I’ve been here, so it’s nice to get a feel for it,” she said. “Great races from everybody all around. All the records show it’s a great track.”

>> Long hurdles: Jasmine Jones was second in the 400 to take the overall victory 16-15 over Anna Cockrell. Britain’s Lina Nielsen won the race in 52.60, followed by Jones in 52.73. Cockrell, the hurdles winner, was sixth in 53.35.

>> Long sprints: Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republican completed a sweep, clocking 22.46 in the 200. Isabella Whitakter was second in 22.82, and she was second overall. Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, disqualified in the 400 for running out of her lane, was fourth in 22.90.

>> Short distance: Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji also made it a sweep, coming from behind for first in the 800 in 1:58.94. The Paris 1,500 bronze and silver medalists, Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell and Australia’s Jessica Hull, were second and third in 1:58.99 and 1:59.63, respectively.

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.