Sydney McLaughlin Sets New World Record at Olympic Trials
21-year-old track and field athlete Sydney McLaughlin set a world record in the women’s 400m hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 27.
Per Popsugar, Sydney McLaughlin ran the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, OR in 51.9 seconds. The African-American star broke the previous world record of 52.16 seconds, which was set by Dalilah Muhammed at the 2019 USA Track and Field National Championships.
Muhammad finished right behind McLaughlin and congratulated her after the race with a warm embrace. McLaughlin was shocked as she crossed the finish line and realized she had just taken the world title. She took to Instagram on June 28 writing, “I could feel this meet was going to be something special… but MAN. Weeks like these are some of the hardest in a track athlete’s life. The mental strain of preparing for the rounds in order to solidify your spot is heavy enough. But the amount of weight the Lord took off my shoulders, is the reason I could run so freely yesterday.” The athlete had a tough week leading up to this final, as there were challenging practices as well as three false starts at the semi-final a few days prior.
In 2016, McLaughlin became the youngest athlete to make the Olympic Track and Field Team since 1980 at 17 years old. At that year’s 400m hurdle final in Rio de Janeiro, she placed fifth in the semi-final and failed to make it to the finals. From 2017 to 2018, she competed for the University of Kentucky’s track and field program until she forfeited her collegiate eligibility to run professionally for New Balance.
McLaughlin’s win allowed her to advance to the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Fans congratulated her on Twitter.
SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN MAKES HISTORY! WORLD RECORD!
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 28, 2021
SYDNEY MF MCLAUGHLIN BABY 🥴
— 🏆 тwanιѕнa тerry. . 🏃🏾♀️💨 (@TeeTeeTerry_) June 28, 2021
51.90 new world record in the 400m hurdles for Sydney McLaughlin.
— ConcernedCitizen (@Socialiberalist) June 28, 2021
Congrats. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/B5eOXnfAod
With her 51.90 WR over 400m hurdles yesterday, Sydney McLaughlin would have finished 6th at the French Championships… in the men’s race.
— tms (@TnFtms) June 28, 2021
Be sure to follow Sydney McLaughlin on Twitter for more updates. Check out Team USA’s Instagram to keep up with the athletes competing in Tokyo this summer.
