Sydney McLaughlin wins gold at the Tokyo Olympics with another world record | Politi

Sydney McLaughlin won her first Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles on Tuesday night, obliterating her own world-record time at the Tokyo Olympics in a performance that somehow managed to exceed her massive expectations.

McLaughlin completed the race in 51.46 seconds, shaving nearly a half second of the world record that she set just six weeks ago. When the race ended, she hugged her longtime rival, Dalilah Muhammad, whose own blistering time of 51.58 would have been the best ever — but somehow earned her just a silver medal.

“It’s amazing. Oh my god,” McLaughlin said as NBC showed her a clip of the celebration with her supporters unfolding in Mountainside. “I can see my high school coach, my principal. What an amazing opportunity to represent my people back home.”

For the 21-year-old McLaughlin, her entire track career had been building toward this moment. The Dunellen native was a high school prodigy at Union Catholic, the youngest U.S. track athlete in decades at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and a professional with a seven-figure sneaker contract after just one collegiate season at Kentucky.

Only the pandemic, it seemed, could delay her ascent — and even that time away from competing turned into a blessing. The COVID-19 shutdowns led to major changes for McLaughlin, who changed coaches to the legendary Bobby Kersee and altered her approach.

“The time that was given, the extra year, allowed me to make a coaching change that I probably wouldn’t have been able to make if the Olympics were last year,” McLaughlin said in Tokyo. “I don’t know if I would’ve been in the same situation as I am right now.”

Even after she lowered the world record by two tenths of a second at the U.S. Olympic trials, it felt like her best was yet to come in Tokyo. She easily won her preliminary and semifinal heats, but so did Muhammad to set up the much-anticipated latest chapter in their personal rivalry.

McLaughlin lost to Muhammad’s world-record performance at the 2019 U.S. championships and world championships in Qatar, but then outclassed the 31-year-old Queens native in Eugene, Ore., in June to reclaim the mantle as the favorite. She made it clear, however, that she was not feeling any of the pressure that came with those expectations.

“Pressure is an illusion, it’s what you make it,” she said after her first race. “I’m just here to have fun and represent my country.”

Still, it wasn’t always an easy journey. Her father, Willie, had a heart transplant this winter, and the pandemic kept the tight family from gathering for months. A crowd of McLaughlin supporters in Mountainside celebrated the win on national TV.

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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.

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