Budapest (AFP) - The US pair of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek nailed Ultimate Championship sprint doubles after searing to victories in the 200m a day after sealing the 100m crowns.

World champion Jefferson-Wooden enjoyed a great start and an even better transition down the home straight to clock a sensational 21.47 seconds for victory.

The 25-year-old’s time was the fourth fastest ever run. Only world record holder Florence Griffith Joyner (21.34) and Jamaican Shericka Jackson (21.41 and 21.45) have gone faster.

In a US sweep, Olympic champion Gabby Thomas took second in 21.77sec, with Kayla White rounding out the podium (21.93).

“I did not see 21.47 coming tonight!” said Jefferson-Wooden, with onlooking Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt on his feet and applauding in the stands.

“I never thought that people like Usain Bolt would watch my races and even have great reactions to my performances. He said to me earlier this week how proud he is of me for making it seem so easy.”

Jefferson-Wooden added: “This result is a good inspiration for the upcoming years.”

Thomas said the race had been “very competitive”.

“I am proud of how I competed and the journey that I have been on,” she said.

“To be disappointed with a second-place finish on the global stage shows how far I have come.”

The men’s 200m saw Bednarek, in lane six outside Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, with Canada’s Andre De Grasse in seven, lead from the gun and rip through the line in 19.52sec.

That improved his personal best by 0.05sec to put him seventh on the all-time list, with Bolt – the world record holder with 19.19sec – again a keen onlooker.

Tebogo claimed second in a season’s best of 19.76sec, with Bednarek’s US teammate Courtney Lindsey rounding out the podium in 19.79.

- Crazy few days -

“Oh my God, it has been a crazy few days!” said Bednarek. “I am just happy to be here and performance-wise I give myself an A+.

“I have been working on a couple of things and I put them together today and earlier in the week.

“This is a phenomenal event and I’m happy that it is showing our sport in a different light,” he said of the inaugural Ultimate, with the next edition scheduled to follow the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Coming home with two wins in Budapest is amazing.”

Bednarek, a two-time Olympic silver medallist, had touched down in Budapest in form, having won his third Diamond League title, clocking a then-world lead of 19.62sec in both Zurich and Brussels.

Tebogo said he would now re-set for next year’s world championships in Beijing.

“I’m grateful what we have tried. We knew the risk that we took coming into the event as we switched from the 400m to see where the long to short programme will take us to,” the Botswanan said.

“I believe if we can combine 400m, 200m and 100m then one should definitely give us something amazing. In any case, we are all happy in the camp.

“Even though we did not win, we still won a lot of hearts. It’s not easy to take it when you lose but you have to take it and move onto the next high.”