Jefferson-Wooden Eyes Two World Records

September 24, 2026

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Publication by EssentiallySports

September 24, 2026 | Edition #731

Hey Athletic Fans,

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden just closed out an already historic season, and she's already looking at the next mountain to climb. Two of track's oldest, most untouchable records are now squarely in her sights, and after the year she just had, nobody's ruling it out.

Also today, an American sprinter is walking away from Dennis Mitchell's Star Athletics, addressing a past mistake head-on.

All that and more in today’s edition of Essentially Athletics.

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Christopher Melenciano completed a stunning double, breaking the 200m deaf world record in 20.43 seconds just a day after setting the 100m mark — making him the first man to hold both deaf sprint world records at once. Watch below 👇

On this day in 1988, Jackie Joyner-Kersee produced the standout performance of her career, closing out the heptathlon with 7,291 points to smash her own world record by 76 points and win gold at the Seoul Olympics.

She seals it in dramatic fashion, matching the pace of a trio of superior East German 800m runners down the final backstretch to squeeze out every last point, with Sabine John and Anke Behmer taking silver and bronze.

Nearly four decades later, her mark still stands untouched — the longest-standing record in the event's history.

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