Sydney McLaughlin looks on after she broke the world record in the women’s 400m hurdles final. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Sydney McLaughlin just keeps getting better.
The US track and field athlete, who won two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, ran the 400-meter hurdles in 51.41 seconds at the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday.
The winning time set a new world record, surpassing her gold medal time of 51.46 seconds at the Tokyo Games last August. That run surpassed the previous world record of 51.90 seconds held by – you guessed it – McLaughlin.
“I was about to finish the race,” McLaughlin’s Lewis Johnson told NBC after the race on Saturday. “We knew that anything is possible. I am really grateful for that.”
Britton Wilson finished a distant second on Saturday with a time of 53.08 seconds. Shamier Little was third with 53.92. All three have earned a spot at next month’s Outdoor World Championships, which will be held at the same Hayward Field track in Eugene, Oregon.
Meanwhile, track and field icon Allyson Felix finished sixth in what is likely to be what will be his final US outdoor track and field championships with a time of 51.30 seconds in the 400 meters. Felix, who is the most successful US track and field athlete of all time with 11 Olympic medals – seven of them gold – plans to retire after this season. She is 36 years old.
The top three finishers in each event on Saturday automatically earned a spot at the World Championships. Talitha Diggs, the NCAA champion from Florida, won the 400 meters in 50.22 seconds. Felix plans to run in the mixed relay at the World Championships, an invitation that her sixth-place finish is likely to secure. Your final season doesn’t seem to be over yet.
“Lucky I never have open 400s anymore,” Felix told reporters after the event. “I came here and I gave it my all, tried to position myself for a season and I was able to do that. So can’t complain.”