Breaking Barriers: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Earns Spot on US Olympic Team with Another World Record.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has broken her own world record once again, clocking 50.65 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles at the US Olympic Trials. This was her fifth world record, shaving just 0.03 seconds off her previous record set two years ago. Her outstanding performance has earned her a spot on the US team for the Paris Olympics, where she will be a strong favorite to defend her title from three years ago.
Despite only competing in this event once this year before the trials, McLaughlin-Levrone made it look easy as she breezed through her heats and finished almost two seconds ahead of Anna Cockrell in first place. In an interview after the race, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed disbelief at the time and mentioned that there is still room for improvement. However, with Dutch athlete Femke Bol expected to provide tough competition, she knows she needs to continue pushing herself to achieve even better times.
Looking ahead, McLaughlin-Levrone aims to keep improving and possibly dip under the 50-second mark at some point. She currently holds seven of the top ten fastest times in history in this event, with four of her five world records set at Eugene’s 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 Paris after finishing second and third respectively.
