PARIS, France — Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once again broke her own world record, powering over the 400-meter hurdles in 50.37 seconds on Thursday night to defend her Olympic title.
The 25-year-old American has now lowered the world record six times. She was in the lead around the corner and breezed down the home stretch to beat teammate Anna Cockrell by 1.50 seconds.
McLaughlin-Levrone had set the old record, 50.65 seconds, on June 30 at the U.S. Olympic trials.
This was billed as one of the must-see races at the Stade de France, given the rivalry between McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol of the Netherlands. Cockrell crashed the party, with Bol finishing third. She walked down the track, shaking her head.
McLaughlin-Levrone will make competitors do that. There was no catching her once she got up to speed.
Once she crossed the finish line, McLaughlin-Levrone looked up at the scoreboard and gave a quick smile. She makes breaking records look almost easy.
McLaughlin-Levrone moved to 3-0 in races against Bol. She beat Bol, the standout from the Netherlands, at the Tokyo Games in 2021 (Bol finished third) and again a year later at world championships in Oregon. McLaughlin-Levrone was hurt last season and didn’t race when the world championships were in Budapest. It opened the the door for Bol to win her first world crown.
Coached by Bobby Kersee, McLaughlin-Levrone has been steadily building toward this moment for two years. Mostly out of the spotlight, too. She’s been racing in sprints at 200 and 400 meters and also in the short hurdles — 100 meters, and 60 meters indoors — to gain experience, speed and technique.
It all paid off Thursday in front of a packed house.
She burst on the scene as a teenager, the runner with the unique ability to juggle while riding a unicycle. She competed in the 2016 Olympics at age 17.
The sprinter from New Jersey who went to the University of Kentucky and now lives in Los Angeles also has a gold medal from Tokyo as part of the 4x400 relay.