There are only a handful of superlatives that can truly capture how extraordinary Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is. Fittest. Strongest. Fastest. Yet, above all, one truth stands out: she is both the bravest and the best.
When she stepped away from her throne in the 400m hurdles to take on the flat 400m, many questioned the move. After all, she wasn’t the obvious pick for GOLD in an event already ruled by the 3rd and 4th fastest women in history — Salwa Eid Naser and Marileidy Paulino. But Sydney has always thrived when the stakes are highest.
From the gun in Tokyo, she made her intentions clear. Gliding down the back straight with composure, she stayed patient, keeping both Paulino of the Dominican Republic and Eid Naser of Bahrain within her sights. Still, even in her control, she split 22.95s at 200m and was firmly ahead as they rounded the bend into the final straight. With Paulino charging hard from lane 9, McLaughlin-Levrone refused to yield, holding her form and her lead all the way to the line.
McLaughlin-Levrone struck GOLD in 47.78s, becoming second-fastest woman in history! She shattered a 42-year-old Championship Record, the oldest standing at the World Championships, and clocked the fastest women’s 400m time in 40 years.
In doing so, she became the first athlete ever — man or woman — to win world titles in both the 400m and 400m hurdles. She joined the exclusive club of women to ever dip under 48 seconds, becoming only the third in history, and set a new American Record while climbing to No. 2 on the all-time list.
Marileidy Paulino behind her, broke ground to a massive Dominican National Record of 47.98s to become the 3rd fastest woman in event history, while Salwa Eid Naser was a lock for Bronze in 48.19s, more than a second ahead of the rest of the field.
By conquering the women’s 400m in her first full season of commitment, McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t just win a race! What was once thought untouchable has now become her starting point.
