Melissa Jefferson advances to semifinals at Paris Olympics

PARIS (WCBD) – Georgetown native Melissa Jefferson is making waves in her Paris Olympics debut.

The track star placed second in her heat on Friday with a time of 10.96 seconds. She had the seventh-fastest time out of eight heats and advanced to the semifinals of the Women’s 100-meter dash.

“The track is super-fast,” she said following the race. “It’s exciting.”

Jefferson is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University and gave credit to her coach.

“Coastal let me grow. I didn’t come out of high school the fastest thing on the block. I had a coach who was dedicated to getting me to where I am today, and when the time came to make the move, I did. It’s paying off so far. I’m just grateful for how they let me grow and to be Melissa,” she said.

Jefferson will compete in one of three semifinals on Saturday afternoon. Her training partners Sha’Carri Richardson and Twanisha Terry also advanced after Friday’s race.