Final day of US championships: Jefferson-Wooden perfect for 200m title

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the 200 metres title in a clean sprint on the final day of the U.S. national championships on Sunday, with world champion Noah Lyles falling short in the men’s event.

Jefferson-Wooden, who completed the sprint double in Tokyo last year, was close to the top of her form as she blitzed through the first half of the race and crossed the line in 21.69 seconds, one hundredth of a second off her personal best.

Camryn Dickson was third in 22.58 and Cambrea Sturgis a distant second in 22.22.I went up to the line and just told myself, ‘Just let each part of the race come to you. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just go out there and let it fly when the rifle goes off,” Jefferson-Wooden said. “And that is what I did.”

Lyles scared the crowd when he pulled up with a leg cramp down the final straight, gasps going through the stands of Icahn Stadium. The winner of the 100m earlier in the championships later indicated he was okay, given the burden he put on himself.

Garrett Kaalund won in 20.04 seconds with Brandon Hicklin second in 20.29 and Maximilian Thomas two thousandths of a second slower for third.

MISSING ATHLETES HAVE ‘OFF YEAR’

There was no customary intrigue to the tournament in a “off year” with no Olympics or worlds, the first time since 2018 that the U.S. nationals were not a selection meet for the two global competitions.

The New York crowd took some time to warm up to the event — which was staged in the five boroughs for the first time in more than three decades — and low early attendance gave way to a packed house for Sunday’s finale.

Some of the sport’s biggest names were absent including current women’s and men’s 400m hurdles Olympic champions Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who gave birth earlier this month, and Rai Benjamin.

Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell ran to the top of the podium in 52.94 with confidence, while Christopher Robinson had his best performance of the season to win the men’s race in 47.61.

Nia Akins (1:59.25) just edged off Addy Wiley (1:59.40) down the final straight to win the women’s 800m. It was the second sorrow in two days for Wiley, who lost the ⁠1,500m by four hundredths of a second to Nikki Hiltz on Saturday.

Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, had another clinic on the boys’ side, winning in 1:43.48, more than a second ahead of Wes Ferguson (1:44.55).

Cordell Tinch held off Bradley Franklin to win the final track event of the day in 13.00, by barely four-thousandths of a second. Ja’Kobe Tharp, who recently set the world mark, did not compete.

Olympic champion Valarie Sion threw 69.54 meters on her fourth try to win her eighth straight U.S. women’s discus national title, while Jordan Geist won the men’s shot put with a throw of 22.32 meters on his last attempt.

The women’s long jump had a last touch of drama with Olympic champion ​Tara Davis-Woodhall initially named the winner with her final try before being placed third. The jump was deemed a foul after a protest and Alyssa Jones was given the victory with 6.96, while Monae’ Nichols (6.92) placed second.