Impossibly high expectations rested upon Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s shoulders, as the whole world watched in anticipation of her run not so long after midnight (August 9th, 12.55am). This US athlete has proven countless times that she is the best at the 400m Hurdles, and she did not disappoint as she shattered her own world record for the sixth time, with a new personal best of 50.37 seconds, a timing never reached before in this event.
With this run, McLaughlin-Levrone not only won gold but bested her own timing earlier on in June, 50.65 seconds (the previous world record) She started off the race incredibly strong with a very controlled run, her lead becoming prominent around the fourth hurdle mark (200m) From then on, she pulled away from the pack at a significant rate and won the event with a large lead, as her teammate, Anna Cockrell, finished in second place with a timing of 51.87 seconds (PB), her first Olympic medal, and Femke Bol finishing in 3rd place.
The eagerly anticipated matchup of Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone fell short, because Bol did not perform close to her usual standard, falling a second behind (51.87) her European record of 50.95. It was also evident that Bol was seemingly exhausted towards the last 150m of the race, as her steps were small and not evenly paced as she got over the final hurdles, which is not usually seen during her races. This allowed Cockrell to overtake her by the last two hurdles, but Bol managed to hang on to win the bronze medal. After an incredible 47 second split in the 4×400 mixed event; her anchor leg that led her team to win gold, we can understand how she was winded and unable to perform at her best, or to pose a threat to the gold medalist as expected. However, this is surely not the last we will see of her in this event.
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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continues to push the boundaries of the 400m hurdles event, which is considered the hardest event in track and field. She made her run look effortless, even though it requires endless speed, stamina, and endurance to perform at this ability. Sydney retains the gold medal that she won in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Paris Olympics too, and we are very fortunate to witness her journey still unfolding, as one of the best athletes of our time.
This race was one that will go down in history, that lived up to the expectations that were promised through this incredible athlete, as evident through the new World and Olympic record she has now set.
. This US athlete has proven countless times that she is the best at the 400m Hurdles, and she did not disappoint as she shattered her own world record for the sixth time, with a new personal best of 50.37 seconds, a timing never reached before in this event.){kind=link}