Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Defends World Record and Earns Paris Olympics Spot in 400-Meter Hurdles

At the US Olympic Trials, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking 50.65 seconds. This was her fifth world record and she shaved off just 0.03 seconds from her previous record set at Eugene’s Hayward Field two years ago. Her impressive performance earned her a spot on the US team for the Paris Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone led the race from the 250-meter mark and finished almost two seconds ahead of Anna Cockrell, who came in second place. In a post-race interview, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed disbelief at her time and mentioned that she felt there was still room for improvement. Despite competing in the 400m hurdles just once this year before the trials, McLaughlin-Levrone breezed through her heats leading up to the final.

Looking ahead to Paris, McLaughlin-Levrone aims to continue improving and possibly dip under the 50-second mark at some point. She now holds seven of the 10 fastest times in history in this event, with four of her five world records set at Hayward Field. On the men’s side, Rai Benjamin set a trials record of 46.46 in the 400m hurdles and will be looking to upgrade his silver medal from Tokyo’s Olympics to gold in Paris.

Anna Cockrell also qualified for Paris after finishing second with a personal best time during trials while Jasmine Jones secured her spot with a personal best time as well.

CJ Allen and Trevor Bassitt also qualified for Paris after finishing second and third respectively.

Overall, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a strong favorite to defend her title from three years ago while Femke Bol is expected to provide tough competition on