Paris: American hurdler and sprinter, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has smashed her own world record in Paris Olympics. The greatest women’s hurdler in history, McLaughlin-Levrone, outperformed Femke Bol, the Dutch track and field athlete, and everyone else by running faster, harder, and stronger down the straightaway, earning her second Olympic gold and a legitimate claim to the title of best track athlete of her time.
Femke Bol was exactly where she wanted to be, as the women’s 400-metre hurdles in Paris Olympics drew to a close. She trailed Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone by precisely the margin her coach, Laurent Meuwly, had anticipated – two tenths of a second. The problem was that Bol had never spent the entire evening in the right place before.
As McLaughlin-Levrone approached the 10th hurdle, she was chasing her own world record, set in June at the US trials, where she won the title. She completed the race in 50.37 seconds, beating the previous record by 0.28 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone became the first track athlete to break five world records in a single event, making history. She has trimmed nearly two seconds off the world record in just three years – a 3.5% reduction, twice as much as Usain Bolt cut off the men’s 100-metre mark.
There was a notion that this championship race would rank among the greatest of the entire Games. The stadium was a vibrant orange colour due to the large number of Dutch spectators. Only two athletes, Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone, drew next to each other in lanes five and six, have completed the 400-metre hurdles in under 51 seconds . Exactly 25 competitors have completed the event in under 53 seconds, three in under 52 seconds, and two in under 51 seconds. They have clocked 14 of the top 15 fastest times ever recorded.
Prior to this competition, McLaughlin-Levrone had prevailed in only two races, the Olympic final in 2021 and the world championship final the following year. However, she had been dealing with various injuries and exploring different disciplines since then. Meanwhile, Bol had emerged victorious in nearly every aspect. But, as Meuwly also mentioned just before the race, the one thing she had not experienced was competing against someone quicker than her. It hurt that she did so here.
Bol came third, with Anna Cockrell, a US teammate of McLaughlin-Levrone, taking the silver medal with a personal best time of 51.87 seconds. Bol completed in 52.15 seconds, still the 19th fastest in history, despite being far slower than the winning pace. After that, she was inconsolable and sobbed as she crossed the finish line. She would be the greatest herself in another location and time. She possesses it. She demonstrated this on Saturday by taking home the gold medal in the 4x400m mixed relay for the Netherlands, leading the team from fourth place to first place with an incredible anchor leg.
The fact that McLaughlin-Levrone chose to run the 400-metre hurdles proved to be bad luck for Bol. In reality, she could have pursued a career in nearly any field on the track. Her best performances in the 100 metres and 100 metres hurdles would have placed her in the running for the final in both races; in the 200 metres, she would have finished second behind Gabby Thomas; in the 400 metres, it would have made her the quickest qualifier for the race on Friday night. She has mentioned crossing to the flat race, and she is currently the quickest person in history to do so. She is also quite adept at juggling anything you ask of her.
One reason McLaughlin-Levrone excels at the 400m hurdles is that she can exceed her jumps with both feet, whereas most hurdlers adjust their stride to lead with their favourite foot. McLaughlin-Levrone can switch between her left and right legs without stuttering, stumbling, or breaking stride. It requires a juggler’s sense of coordination to do it at speed. Her brain should be as fast as her feet as she makes high-speed adjustments to her stride. McLaughlin-Levrone is nearly unbeatable due to her incredible speed on the straight, her endurance within a single lap, and her flawless technique, experts sited.
Shortly after crossing the finish line, someone in the crowd presented McLaughlin-Levrone with a crown and a US flag.
ALSO READ | McDonald’s global sales decline for first time in 3 years
