Last Friday, 22-year-old US Track and Field star Sydney McLaughlin smashed her own world record for the fourth time in two years for the 400-meter hurdles at World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She had an incredible time of 50.68 seconds.
In 2019, Dalilah Muhammad, another famous successful US track and field female star, achieved a time of 52.20 seconds. But no female athlete has ever gotten a time under 52 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles for 35 years, until McLaughlin smashed that word record and achieved a time of 51.90 seconds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Recently at the World Athletics Championships, she shattered her own record again, clocking an astonishing 50.68 seconds, and completely destroyed the entire heat. The second-place winner on Friday was Femke Bol, a Dutch Track and Field athlete. Bol finished a big gap of 1.59 seconds after McLaughlin, and surprisingly, McLaughlin’s greatest rival, Dalilah Muhammad, an American Track and Field athlete, finished third with a time of 53.13.
McLaughlin makes it seem like the sport is easy. According to The New York Times, she said, “I would definitely say it’s a flow state, where you’re putting everything that you’ve done in practice into a race to the point where you’re just letting your body do what it does.”
What makes McLaughlin so invincible is her strong determination to improve. She always wants do better than the last time she did. She finds a way to improve, and get better. Most importantly, she believes that she can be better. This explains why she broke her own record so many times. For McLaughlin, breaking records isn’t her main goal. She is determined to stretch the gap between her, and the second fastest person. According to msn.com, McLaughlin said, “I haven’t had a chance to watch it [her race], so I’ll have to do that and go back and talk to my coach. But I think there’s always things to improve on. I think we’re pushing the boundaries of the sport, especially in our event.”
McLaughlin will continue to focus on finding ways to improve, and continue to dominate her favorite event – the women’s 400-meter hurdles.
In 2019, Dalilah Muhammad, another famous successful US track and field female star, achieved a time of 52.20 seconds. But no female athlete has ever gotten a time under 52 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles for 35 years, until McLaughlin smashed that word record and achieved a time of 51.90 seconds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Recently at the World Athletics Championships, she shattered her own record again, clocking an astonishing 50.68 seconds, and completely destroyed the entire heat. The second-place winner on Friday was Femke Bol, a Dutch Track and Field athlete. Bol finished a big gap of 1.59 seconds after McLaughlin, and surprisingly, McLaughlin’s greatest rival, Dalilah Muhammad, an American Track and Field athlete, finished third with a time of 53.13.
McLaughlin makes it seem like the sport is easy. According to The New York Times, she said, “I would definitely say it’s a flow state, where you’re putting everything that you’ve done in practice into a race to the point where you’re just letting your body do what it does.”
What makes McLaughlin so invincible is her strong determination to improve. She always wants do better than the last time she did. She finds a way to improve, and get better. Most importantly, she believes that she can be better. This explains why she broke her own record so many times. For McLaughlin, breaking records isn’t her main goal. She is determined to stretch the gap between her, and the second fastest person. According to msn.com, McLaughlin said, “I haven’t had a chance to watch it [her race], so I’ll have to do that and go back and talk to my coach. But I think there’s always things to improve on. I think we’re pushing the boundaries of the sport, especially in our event.”
McLaughlin will continue to focus on finding ways to improve, and continue to dominate her favorite event – the women’s 400-meter hurdles.
