Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone proved once again on Thursday that the women’s 400m hurdles is one of the must-see events on the Olympic stage.
The American won her second straight gold medal in world record fashion in 50.37 and lowering her own mark. It is the sixth time she’s broken the record and McLaughlin-Levrone is the only woman to win the 400m hurdles in consecutive Olympics.
“The event is just getting faster and faster,” she said. “There so much depth in it. It always keeps me on my toes.”
Fellow American Anna Cockrell took the silver with a personal-best of 51.87, while the Netherlands’ Femke Bol won bronze in 52.15, as she was expected to be McLaughlin-Levrone’s main competition — but has lost all three of their head-t0-head showdowns.
McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol are the only two women to run sub-51 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, which has quickly taken its share of the spotlight in track and field. McLaughlin-Levrone believes there’s likely more ahead for the event.
“I also remember when Dalilah [Muhammad] broke the world record back in 2019 and I was just baffled seeing 52.2,” she said. “We’ve taken it so far. This event wasn’t very popular but we made it very popular very quickly. I do think 49 [seconds] is possible.”
With just two days of track and field competition left in Paris — and the Olympics — McLaughlin-Levrone said she’s making herself available for Team USA, if asked, in the women’s 4×400 relay final on Saturday.
“I’m always here if they need me,” she said.
As for Bol, she dismissed the notion that her bronze finish was partly because of her stunning anchor leg in the 4×400 mixed relay last Saturday. She powered the Netherlands to the gold with a 47.93 anchor leg.
“I screwed it up. I’m not sure where I made the mistake,” Bol said. “I just got so much lactic acid with 300 meters to go. I’m not sure why; I really have no explanation. This is just a bad race.”
Still, Bol will continue to be a dominant factor in the 400m hurdles landscape for the foreseeable future.
But the question lies in what comes next for McLaughlin-Levrone. She already holds a 48.74 personal best in the 400m, which is Olympic gold caliber but is unsure if she will switch to the 400m in the future.
“I don’t know if I can give a definitive yes or no,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I do love doing other events.
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