SAINT-DENIS, France — Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone arrived in Paris as the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Femke Bol took advantage of the American star’s absence to take gold at last year’s world championships.
Earlier this summer, McLaughlin-Levrone lowered the 400m hurdles world record for the fifth time since June 2021. Her Dutch rival in June became the only other female 400m hurdler to break the 51-second barrier.
Other Olympic hurdlers describe themselves as “starstruck” the first time they line up alongside McLaughlin-Levrone. Bol is one of the Netherlands’ most beloved athletes and last month
Exactly 748 days after the world’s top two hurdlers last met, they finally met again on Thursday evening, this time with Olympic gold at stake. The distinctive purple track at the Stade de France was the scene of one of the most eagerly awaited clashes of the Paris Games.
McLaughlin-Levrone continued her attack on preconceived notions of what can be achieved in her signature race, pulling away from Bol and the rest of a talent-packed field. She sped across the finish line and took gold in 50.37 seconds. Bol took silver.
To put McLaughlin-Levrone’s astonishing time into perspective, consider that it’s not just 400-meter hurdlers who can’t keep up with her. McLaughlin-Levrone ran faster Thursday night than xx of the 24 women who competed the night before in the Olympic 400-meter semifinals. That’s the race. without 10 obstacles.
Chasing the seemingly impossible is what motivates McLaughlin-Levrone
As she said at the Olympic trials six weeks ago: “I think there’s something really exciting about figuring out how to make history better.”
McLaughlin-Levrone’s victory reinforces her dominance in the 400m hurdles and reinforces her position as the most dominant athlete in track and field. She last lost a 400m hurdles race in July 2019, a streak of 25 consecutive races.
On three occasions during that period they have faced Bol and on three occasions they have won decisively. Three years ago, McLaughlin-Levrone and Muhammad beat the 21-year-old Bol in the Olympic 400m final in Tokyo. McLaughlin-Levrone’s margin of victory increased to an impressive 1.59 seconds the following year at the World Championships.
What happened next is what made Thursday night’s final so intriguing. Bol, 24, has made steady progress over the past two years, lowering his times, gaining confidence and sweeping away everyone who crossed his path. The image of Bol with his arms raised in victory has become one of the most common on the international track circuit.
McLaughlin-Lavrone, 25, has continued to compete sparingly, choosing to save herself for the world championships. She took a year-long break from the 400m hurdles and accepted the challenge of focusing on the 400m fly for the first time in her career.
The lack of head-to-heads between McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol heightened the anticipation as Thursday night’s final approached. Both athletes are so accustomed to running at the front that no one knew who would cower first under the pressure of the race.
McLaughlin-Levrone has been tipped for world domination since before she was legally old enough to drive a car. By age 16, the New Jersey native had already earned her first Gatorade Sportswoman of the Year award in high school, rewritten the high school record book and earned her first spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
In a sport rife with teenage phenoms who failed to live up to expectations, McLaughlin has proven to be the exception. When McLaughlin-Levrone turned pro after her freshman year at Kentucky, Muhammad had just begun to break old barriers by dipping into the 53-second range. McLaughlin-Levrone took that and ran with it, bringing along a generation of young hurdlers who are now beginning to run 52 and 53 seconds alongside her.
According to her competitors, it’s not just one characteristic that makes McLaughlin-Levrone great. It’s the combination of her speed, speed endurance and hurdling technique that makes her lethal. McLaughlin-Levrone’s fastest time this season in the 200 meters would have been enough to win silver in Tuesday’s Olympic final. Her best time in the 400 meters is the second fastest in the world so far this year.
Continuing to compete in those events could be an option for next year. For now, McLaughlin-Levrone is content to be the queen of the 400-meter hurdles.
How much faster could McLaughlin-Levrone get there? The answer Muhammad gave earlier this summer should have McLaughlin-Levrone opponents looking for new events.
Muhammad said: “I still think he can get to 49.”