The 400-meter hurdles event at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials saw a record-breaking performance by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who set a new world record with a time of 50.65 seconds. Leading from start to finish, she won her second consecutive Olympic Trials title, improving on her own world record from 2022 by just 0.03 seconds.
In an interview after the race, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her disbelief and surprise at her achievement, saying “I can’t believe I did that! I’m so grateful for all the hard work and support that got me here.”
Anna Cockrell finished in second place with a time of 52.64, while Jasmine Jones claimed the final Olympic spot in 52.77. Despite finishing in sixth place, Dalilah Muhammad was praised by the top three finishers for her accomplishments as the 2016 Olympic champion and silver medalist in 2021.
McLaughlin-Levrone, who is just 24 years old, has had an exceptional season leading up to the Trials, competing in various events such as the 4 x 100-meter relay, the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter race. Her performance in the latter event with a time of 48.75 is currently the fastest in the world this year, indicating that she is well on her way to success at Paris.
After missing out on last year’s event due to a knee injury, McLaughlin-Levrone has made an incredible comeback this season and is now one of seven women who have run under four minutes and forty seconds for the women’s mile or any other distance race worldwide over their career