The Flaws in Using “Three Golds” to Justify MJW as Athlete of the Year

Melissa’s three golds are certainly a great achievement. However, that alone does not automatically guarantee MJW a spot in the final list for World Athletics’ Best Female Track Athlete of the Year. Here is why:

1. The 4×100 m relay gold was not carried by MJW. She ran the first leg, but was only the third-fastest among all first-leg runners and handed off behind Jamaica. It was TeeTee Terry and Sha’Carri Richardson who rescued the race and secured the gold. The U.S. positions after each leg were 3 → 2 → 2 → 1. In other words, MJW actually put the U.S. behind. This was an underperformance, especially considering she had just won the 100 m. In fact, her performance was a liability rather than an asset in that specific race for USA which aimed for gold.
2. The 100/200 double is impressive but not historically rare. Track & field intentionally schedules two pairs of events to enable doubles for top athletes: 100/200 and 5000/10,000. Because of this, the 100/200 double has been achieved several times in major championships. For example, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce completed the double as recently as the 2013 World Championships. So while MJW’s double is significant, it is not unprecedented.
3. The 200 m field in Paris was relatively weak. Gabby Thomas and Julien Alfred were absent, and Shericka Jackson was not near her best form following injury. MJW won convincingly, but the depth of competition was not what it could have been.
4. Her times, while fast, are not historic. Her 100 m time ranks fourth all-time, and her 200 m time ranks eighteenth. These are excellent performances, but not groundbreaking—especially considering many athletes ahead of her on the all-time lists (SAFP, Gabby, Jackson, ETH, etc.) are still active.
5. The margins between MJW and the world record are 0.12 seconds in the 100 m (0.48 seconds when linearly translated to 400 m) and 0.34 seconds in the 200 m (0.68 seconds when linearly translated to 400 m). By comparison, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is far closer to the 400 m world record, with a margin of only 0.18 seconds.
6. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol had seasons of far greater historical significance. Both set world records, displayed unmatched dominance, and achieved unprecedented feats in their events. Their seasons were simply on a different historical level.