MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — On Saturday, Melissa Jefferson qualified for the 100-meter dash at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Jefferson is a Georgetown County native and graduated from Carvers Bay high school. She recalled the times she spent running for the Bears, even with limited resources.
“Most of my high school career at Carvers Bay, we actually had a concrete track,” Jefferson said. “The shoes that I had, they were basically kind of like passed down, so I was probably wearing somebody else’s shoes that were or used to be on the team. I never had a pair of my own shoes, and in that state, you know, you work with what you can work with.”
She then went on to run track at Coastal Carolina University, where she had endless success, including an NCAA National Championship title for the indoor 60-meter dash. This would be Coastal Carolina’s first individual national championship.
“ At Coastal, I felt like I really had the opportunity to grow into what everybody sees now, as me being Melissa Jefferson,” Jefferson said. “It’s prepared me for levels in this sport that I’ve wish about myself, as far as wanting to represent Team USA, wanting to be an Olympian someday, and wanting to be a champion at all the levels.”