US track star Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record -- yet again -- in the 400-meter hurdles on Friday night.
The 22-year-old New Jersey native broke the world record for the fourth time in a little over a year, clocking in at a blistering 50.68 seconds. The mark bested her previous record by a staggering 0.73 seconds.
The undisputed "queen of the 400-meter hurdles" already has two Olympic golds on her resume, which she won at last year's Games in Tokyo, along with the litany of world records that she continues to break.
On Friday night at Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, McLaughlin beat second-place finisher Femke Bol of the Netherlands by a comfortable 1.59 seconds. McLaughlin’s main rival, Dalilah Muhammad, finished third in 53.13 seconds, a time that would’ve won the world title with ease a mere seven years ago. That fact underscores the extent to which McLaughlin and her peers are pushing the boundaries in this specific event and in the sports in general.
And yet, as McLaughlin summed up her takeaways from the evening — an evening in which she delivered in a race she has turned into one of track’s must-see events — she was far from ready to declare she had run the perfect race.
“I haven’t had a chance to watch it, so I’ll have to do that and go back and talk to my coach,” McLaughlin said. “But I think there’s always things to improve on. I think we’re pushing the boundaries of the sport, especially in our event.”
McLaughlin's dominant performance at the world championships arguably eclipsed that of fellow American Noah Lyles, who on Thursday night broke a 26-year-old US record in the 200, previously owned by the legendary Michael Johnson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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