Last Friday on Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Sydney McLaughlin broke the world record in the 400m hurdles with a time of 50.68 seconds, clinching her first world champion title, with second place finishing almost 2 seconds behind.
To put her time into perspective, she would have gotten 6th in the 400m race, while clearing 10 barriers. It is because of this statistic that she is opening up her options to more events such as the 400 or the 100m hurdles. She said “My coach [Bobby Kersee] thinks there’s a lot more to be done.”
On her world record breaking race, she said “I still think that wasn’t even a super clean race.” This shows how McLaughlin still has room for improvement and the only question becomes: how much is she going to break her record by next time?
She has not lost a single 400m hurdle race since 2019, where she finished second behind Dalilah Muhammad at the world championships. Until recently, Muhammad, the former world record holder and Olympic and world champion, would be able to challenge McLaughlin. That is, until McLaughlin started obliterating her own records. However, Muhammad had COVID twice and is dealing with hamstring injuries and there is no doubt that once she is healthy, she will be a faster runner. Perhaps the old rivalry between the two athletes will be revitalized.
McLaughlin first broke the world record at the 2021 Olympic trials, and then later at the Tokyo Olympics, where Muhammad finished second both of those times. Just last month, McLaughlin broke the record again at US Championships, and just 27 days later, broke it yet again. Overall, she has broken the world record 4 times, was the first female to run a 400m hurdle race in less than 52 seconds, and she is pushing the sub-50 second mark.
There is no question Sydney McLaughlin is one of the most dominant track athletes. Fans can hope to see more from her in the future such as running more races and breaking more records. Her legacy will likely continue to grow and inspire young athletes.
To put her time into perspective, she would have gotten 6th in the 400m race, while clearing 10 barriers. It is because of this statistic that she is opening up her options to more events such as the 400 or the 100m hurdles. She said “My coach [Bobby Kersee] thinks there’s a lot more to be done.”
On her world record breaking race, she said “I still think that wasn’t even a super clean race.” This shows how McLaughlin still has room for improvement and the only question becomes: how much is she going to break her record by next time?
She has not lost a single 400m hurdle race since 2019, where she finished second behind Dalilah Muhammad at the world championships. Until recently, Muhammad, the former world record holder and Olympic and world champion, would be able to challenge McLaughlin. That is, until McLaughlin started obliterating her own records. However, Muhammad had COVID twice and is dealing with hamstring injuries and there is no doubt that once she is healthy, she will be a faster runner. Perhaps the old rivalry between the two athletes will be revitalized.
McLaughlin first broke the world record at the 2021 Olympic trials, and then later at the Tokyo Olympics, where Muhammad finished second both of those times. Just last month, McLaughlin broke the record again at US Championships, and just 27 days later, broke it yet again. Overall, she has broken the world record 4 times, was the first female to run a 400m hurdle race in less than 52 seconds, and she is pushing the sub-50 second mark.
There is no question Sydney McLaughlin is one of the most dominant track athletes. Fans can hope to see more from her in the future such as running more races and breaking more records. Her legacy will likely continue to grow and inspire young athletes.