Pre Classic 100m Races Look AMAZING: Julien Alfred v. Sha’Carri Richardson v. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Olympic Rematch and Red-Hot Kishane Thompson Highlight Sizzling Races

So far this year, the three medalists from the 2024 women’s Olympic 100-meter final have been siloed from each other. Gold medalist Julien Alfred has been dominating the Diamond League. Bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been dominating Grand Slam Track. Meanwhile, silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, the biggest name in American track, has raced on neither circuit. Halfway through 2025, the mercurial Richardson has run a grand total of one (very slow) race. But, as we’ve seen in the past, it only takes one race for her to turn things around.

On Saturday, the 100m stars will be siloed no more as they face off in a loaded women’s 100 at the Prefontaine Classic, a race which will also feature 20-year-old Tina Clayton, fresh off a 10.81 personal best victory at last week’s Jamaican championships. The men’s 100 also features a big-time matchup between Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson, who just ran the fastest time in the world in 10 years (9.75) at the Jamaican champs, and US leader Trayvon Bromell (9.84 in Rome on June 6). Preview of both races below.

Meet details
What: 2025 Prefontaine Classic
When: Saturday, July 5 (Bowerman Mile at 5:50 p.m. ET)
Where: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
*TV/streaming information *Schedule/entries

Women’s 100: Who’s the favorite with 10 weeks to go until Worlds?

Entries

Julien Alfred (LCA) 10.75 sb
Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) 10.93 sb
Tina Clayton (JAM) 10.81 sb
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA) 10.73 sb (world leader)
Favour Ofili (NGR) 10.87 sb
Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) 11.47 sb
Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) 10.92 sb
Twanisha Terry (USA) 10.85 sb

Julien Alfred broke out by winning the Olympic title in 2024 and might be even better in 2025. Alfred chose not to defend her World Indoor 60m title in March, but she has shown no signs of rust, running her fastest early-season times ever this year. Her 21.88 in Gainesville on April 18 was her second-fastest ever, behind only her 21.86 pb from July 2024. She has also won both of her 100m races this year — 10.89 in Oslo on June 12, then 10.75 (+0.9) in Stockholm on June 15. The latter time was also her second-best ever, behind only her 10.72 from the Olympic final. She enters Prefontaine as the favorite.

Yet despite all that, you can’t call Alfred a lock for the win. That is how good Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has been this year. MJW won all three 100m races at Grand Slam Track, including a windy 10.75 (+2.4) in Miramar and a wind-legal, world-leading 10.73 (+1.3) in Philadelphia. That’s a nice improvement on her 10.80 pb from the Olympic Trials last year. Plus she has drastically improved in the 200, dropping her pb from 22.46 to 21.99, which she ran to beat Olympic champion Gabby Thomas in Philly.

And even though she is facing two red-hot stars, you can’t count out Sha’Carri Richardson either. To this point, Richardson’s entire 2025 season consists of one race, an 11.47 (-0.9) in Tokyo in which she lost to the likes of Bree Rizzo and Sade McCreath. That’s an objectively awful result and Richardson’s slowest time in four years…and yet it’s not completely different from how Richardson started 2024. Last year, Richardson went to China ran two slow Diamond League 200s, then came back and ran 10.83 to beat everyone convincingly at Pre (including Alfred and Jefferson-Wooden). We know Richardson has the talent, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see her show up to Pre and run something fast in 2025.

The wild card is 20-year-old Jamaican champ Tina Clayton, twin sister of Tia. Tina began as the faster of the two, winning back-to-back world U20 titles in 2021 and 2022, but struggled mightily in 2023 and 2024, failing to even make the final at the Jamaican champs. She has been much improved in 2025, running back-to-back pbs of 10.93 and 10.81 in the semi and final to win the Jamaican champs last weekend. Tia, who was 7th in the Olympic final last year, tied her pb with a 10.86 in the semi at the Jamaican champs but pulled up midway through the final and is no longer on the start list on the Pre website (she still appears on the start list on the Diamond League site).

JG prediction: Alfred holds the crown as the fastest woman in the world. As good as Jefferson-Wooden has been this year, I’m picking Alfred FTW until she gives me a reason not to.

Men’s 100: The Kishane Thompson show heads north

Entries

Jeremiah Azu (GBR) 10.17 sb
Ackeem Blake (JAM) 9.88 sb
Trayvon Bromell (USA) 9.84 sb
Christian Coleman (USA) 10.06 sb
Brandon Hicklin (USA) 9.93 sb
Zharnel Hughes (GBR) 10.05 sb
Lachlan Kennedy (AUS) 9.98 sb
Kishane Thompson (JAM) 9.75 sb (world leader)
Bayanda Walaza (RSA) 9.94 sb

Kishane Thompson only ran four 100-meter finals in 2025. He only finished three of them. But when he did race, he delivered. Thompson finished the year with three of the five fastest times in the world (9.77, 9.79, and 9.80) and an Olympic silver medal. There is no doubting his ability.

One reason for that limited race schedule: injuries. Early in his career, Thompson was bothered by a persistent shin issue that severely impacted his ability to train and race. It was so bad that in 2023, his coach, Stephen Francis, instituted a rule that Thompson could not run more than one round at any meet. Even the Jamaican championships, where Thompson ran 9.91 in the prelims but DNS’d the semis.

But Thompson looks to be making progress. Last year, he ran a limited schedule but handled rounds well, going 9.82-9.84-9.77 at the Jamaican trials and 10.00-9.80-9.79 at the Olympics. This year, Thompson is racing more frequently: Pre will be his fourth 100m final of 2025. And with Olympic champ Noah Lyles absent from the circuit (Lyles hasn’t raced since April 19), Thompson is the man to beat in the 100m right now.

Thompson heads to Prefontaine in the form of his life. He ran 9.80 (+0.4) in the semis at last week’s Jamaican trials, the fastest time in the world this year, only to top it by coming back and running 9.75 (+0.8) in the final a couple of hours later.

9.75 is seriously fast. Not only is it a 2025 world leader, it is the fastest time run by anyone in almost 10 years, since Justin Gatlin‘s 9.75 in July 2015. It’s also tied for the fastest time ever run in Jamaica and moves Thompson to #6 on the world all-time list, behind only Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, and Gatlin.

We’ll have to wait for a Thompson-Lyles rematch, which likely wouldn’t be close right now given Lyles’ absence from racing. Kenny Bednarek, who has been in great form this year, is in the 200 at Pre instead (he’s racing Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo, so we can hardly complain about that). That leaves Trayvon Bromell as Thompson’s top challenger in Eugene. Despite missing the Worlds team in 2023 and barely racing in 2024, Bromell showed he is alive and kicking by running 9.84 (+1.1) in Rome on June 6, which puts him #3 on the world list for 2025, behind Thompson and fellow Jamaican Oblique Seville (9.83, though he’s not running Pre).

It’s not quite as good as the women’s field, but it’s still a good USA vs. Jamaica showdown featuring two guys in great form right now.

JG prediction: I’m not picking against a guy who just ran 9.75. Thompson FTW. I’ll be very interested to see what Thompson’s plans are after the race. He has only run one European Diamond League in his career. With his spot on the Worlds team secure, will he head over in July or August to get in a few more DLs before Worlds?