Sydney McLaughlin sets world record; Dalilah Muhammad wins silver in 400 hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin #SydneyMcLaughlin
Simone Biles wins bronze, world record in track; Wednesday park skateboarding begins
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
Click to expand
UP NEXT
TOKYO — For so long, the track and field community viewed Sydney McLaughlin as a prodigy. Her accomplishments were viewed primarily within the context of her age.
That changed in June, when she broke a world record at the U.S. Olympic trials.
And it will change again now that she is an Olympic gold medalist.
From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.
The 21-year-old McLaughlin won the women’s 400-meter hurdles in dominant fashion Wednesday, beating compatriot Dalilah Muhammad – the reigning world champion and Olympic gold medalist – to secure the title. The New Jersey native crossed the finish line in 51.46 seconds, crushing her own world record by .44 of a second.
Muhammad was second in 51.58. Femke Bol of the Netherlands won bronze in 52.03.
The gold medal comes five years after McLaughlin made her Olympic debut in Rio, at the age of 16. It was a remarkable feat for a rising junior in high school, even though she didn’t make the final. And when it was over, she went back for her senior year at Union Catholic High School, just trying to be a normal kid.
LIVE BLOG: All the action from Day 12 of the Tokyo Olympics
INSIDE SCOOP IN TOKYO: Subscribe to our Olympic newsletter
TEXT WITH US AT TOKYO OLYMPICS: We’ll be your official guide to the Games via text message
After a stint at the University of Kentucky, McLaughlin turned pro and found herself climbing the ranks, but often finishing second to Muhammad. They have long been not just the two fastest women in the 400-meter field, but also the two fastest in the history of the event.
Last summer, McLaughlin decided that it was time for a change. She started training with a new coach, Bobby Kersee, and alongside Allyson Felix, one of the most decorated track and field athletes in Olympic history. Kersee altered her approach and refined her technique. In earlier meets this year, for example, Felix competed in the 60-meter or 100-meter hurdles, simply to practice different hurdling techniques.
It paid off at the Olympic trials, with a world-record time of 51.90. And it paid off again Wednesday, in Olympic gold and a new world record.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sydney McLaughlin sets world record; Dalilah Muhammad wins silver in 400 hurdles