It wasn’t long ago that Sydney McLaughlin was challenged every time he put himself in the starting blocks of the 400-meter hurdles. She knew she would face fierce competition with something like Dalilah Muhammad, a graceful runner with an impressive list of achievements.
But over the last two years, McLaughlin has taken himself to another level. She repeatedly broke the world record to the Smithereens, pushing her rivals into background noise, pushing the boundaries of what was possible in her profession.
Already reigning as an Olympic gold medalist, McLaughlin broke the world record on Friday night for the first time in two years. She destroyed her deeply decorated field in 50.68 seconds and won her first world championship.
Femkebol of the Netherlands finished second with 52.27 seconds and Muhammad finished third with 53.13.
For an uncertain future, McLaughlin’s only real battle looks like a watch: when will she break the world record?
Some contexts may help.Think McLaughlin was defeated Two women who advanced to the 400m final on Friday — While clearing 10 hurdles. (Yes, you’re reading it correctly.) Also consider that she trimmed 0.73 seconds from the previous world record she set at the US Championship 27 days ago.
Are you the most ridiculous of all? McLaughlin believes there is room for improvement.
“Sure, we all know that there are ten barriers, but we can do them much faster than people think,” she added. “
Undefeated in the 400-meter hurdles since 2019, after Muhammad in the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, McLaughlin, 22, has emerged as one of the most dominant athletes in athletics. Competitiveness.
Muhammad, who held the world record until the advent of McLaughlin, is an Olympic and world champion. Training was interrupted due to her injury, but she is still a terrifying athlete at the age of 32.
“Honestly, I was a little nervous to attend this tournament because I didn’t know where my fitness level was,” Muhammad said. “Winning a medal shows my resilience as an athlete.”
The 22-year-old Bol, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics behind McLaughlin and Muhammad, could be a contemporary rival to boost McLaughlin at the 2024 Paris Olympics and perhaps beyond. Bol owns the seventh fastest time in history. (Six times before her, she belongs to McLaughlin and Muhammad.)
However, there is still a gap between McLaughlin and Bol. It was apparent when an evening shadow fell across the track in Hayward Field and McLaughlin opened a big lead along the way. It may have been a winning lap that she ran down the home stretch. No one was near her.
“I definitely think it’s a state of flow,” she said.
Raised in central New Jersey and a teenage genius at Union Catholic High School, McLaughlin is the fastest 400-meter female hurdle in history. She broke her record again when she won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics a few weeks after she broke Muhammad’s world record in the 2021 US Olympic Trials. Muhammad finished second in both races.
Last month, McLaughlin looked pretty indifferent when he ran 51.41 seconds in the US Championship and broke the record again. Muhammad, who automatically bid on the world as a defending champion, chose not to compete.
In preparation for the World Championship finals, McLaughlin was prepared for another extraordinary performance. On Wednesday, she destroyed the field in the semi-final heat, A few meters slower than the finish To win in 52.17 seconds, the world record just three years ago.
As for the future, McLaughlin said he would discuss his options with coach Bobby Curcy at the end of the season. She left the possibility of competing in the 400-meter or 100-meter hurdles, or a combination of several events. In any case, there are more championships to chase and more records to break.
“My coach thinks there’s more to do,” she said.
