Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record at the US Olympic Trials, clocking 50.65 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. This was the fifth time she broke the world record, shaving 0.03 seconds off her previous record set at Eugene’s Hayward Field two years ago. Her remarkable performance earned her a spot on the US team for the Paris Olympics.
McLaughlin-Levrone led the race from the 250-meter mark and finished almost two seconds ahead of Anna Cockrell, who came in second place. In a post-race interview, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her disbelief at the time and mentioned that she felt there was still room for improvement. She now goes to the Paris Olympics as a strong favorite to defend her title from three years ago, with Dutch athlete Femke Bol expected to provide tough competition.
Despite competing in the 400m hurdles just once this year before the US trials, McLaughlin-Levrone breezed through her heats leading up to the final. During the trials, Cockrell and Jasmine Jones also secured their spots in the Paris Games with personal-best times. Looking ahead, McLaughlin-Levrone aims to continue improving and possibly dip under the 50-second mark at some point.
McLaughlin-Levrone now holds seven of the 10 fastest times in history in the 400m hurdles, with four of her five world records set at Hayward Field. On the men’s side, Rai Benjamin set a trials record of 46.46 in the event and will be looking to upgrade his silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics. CJ Allen and Trevor Bassitt also qualified for the Paris Olympics after finishing second and third, respectively.