Black history sports legends: Melissa Jefferson |
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on February 25, 2025
No bond is stronger than that of a family.
Melissa Jefferson is a track star, running since she was five years old. She’s always been a talented sprinter, but has improved with maturity. In 2022, she won a national championship with Coastal Carolina in the women’s 60-meter dash at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championship. The win made her the first individual Chantileer champion.
Later that season, she ran a 10.69 in the women’s 100-meter dash at the USA Track Indoor and Outdoor Championships. At the time, the run was an all-dates, all-time record.
Her biggest victory, though, came at the age of 17. Her father, Melvin, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disorder where the body can’t make enough blood cells in the bone marrow, increasing the chance of leukemia. After she was named the best match, Melissa donated her bone marrow, saving her father’s life.
Thanks to his daughter, Melvin was able to watch her debut in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Melissa would win gold (4x100m relay) and bronze (100m) in her first Games.
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