Georgetown celebrates Olympian Melissa Jefferson with homecoming parade

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCBD)–Melissa Jefferson has had a whirlwind summer, from the Olympics opening ceremonies in Paris to a parade back home in the Lowcountry. She’s had her share of celebrations but said Saturday events felt different.

“I’ve been in many parades on Front Street since I was five years old up until I left to go to Coastal, and for the first time, I was in a parade, and it was all about me like all these people came out to celebrate me, and that’s like mind-blowing to me, Melissa Jefferson, USA Olympian.

Over 5,000 people came out to honor their hometown hero, who won gold and bronze medals as a Team USA track and field member, putting Georgetown in the international spotlight.

“To have a small town like Georgetown, South Carolina, put on the map, it’s important to express and let people know to our children and people that we can do this,” said Naomi Pethea, a member of Baltimore Connections. 

Jefferson told News 2 it felt good to see her legacy in her hometown, following in the footsteps of another local Olympian, Anthuan Maybank, and she hopes to inspire more girls to hit the track.

“Not only will they be proud to talk about Anthuan Maybank, they will probably talk about Melissa Jefferson now, but just being a woman and now little girls will have someone to look up to and realize they can put their mind to anything they desire no matter where they come from,” said Jefferson.

And she’s not done yet. She told News 2 that she plans to represent Georgetown and Team USA again in Los Angeles in 2028, hoping to make an even more significant impact. 

“You can count on the fact that you will see Melissa Jefferson in LA 2028 with three gold medals.”

The city of Georgetown proclaimed October 12 Melissa Jefferson Day.