Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaks her own world record to win Olympic gold again in the 400 metres hurdles

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone insists and insists that her biggest competition in any race are those 10 hurdles that encircle the track.

Today, this is no longer a problem. The real issue is the watch.

McLaughlin-Levrone once again broke his own world record by running the 400 metres hurdles in 50.37 seconds on Thursday night to defend his title. Olympic title.

The 25-year-old American has now broken the world record six times. She was in the lead at the turn and cruised smoothly down the final straight to beat team-mate Anna Cockrell by 1.50 seconds.

“Sure, there are people next to you and they’re going to push you, but it doesn’t matter if you’re not focusing on the hurdles in front of you,” McLaughlin-Levrone says. “That was my goal, to try to be as efficient as possible over my 10 hurdles and try to get that time down every time.”

McLaughlin-Levrone had set the old record, 50.65 seconds, on June 30 at the U.S. Olympic trials.

This race was billed as one of the must-see races at the Stade de France, given the rivalry between McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol of the Netherlands. Cockrell burst into the party, with Bol finishing third. She walked the track shaking her head.

McLaughlin-Levrone will force his competitors to do this.

“I made a mistake,” Bol said. “I don’t know exactly where I made the mistake. I just had too much lactic acid with 300 meters to go. I don’t really know why, I really have no explanation. It’s just a bad race.”

After crossing the finish line, McLaughlin-Levrone looked at the scoreboard and smiled quickly. With her, breaking records seems almost like a walk in the park.

And even though she knows there are things she can improve on, she was getting closer and closer to a perfect race – and a time of 49 seconds.

“It’s just about developing the ability of your legs to handle going that fast,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who married Andre Levrone Jr., a former NFL football player, in 2022.

McLaughlin-Levrone is now 3-0 in her races against Bol. She beat Bol, the Dutch standout, at the 2021 Tokyo Games (Bol finished third) and again a year later at the world championships in Oregon. McLaughlin-Levrone was injured last season and didn’t compete at the world championships in Budapest. That opened the door for Bol to win her first world crown.

After the race, McLaughlin-Levrone gave Bol a comforting hug and some words of encouragement.

“I told her, ‘You’re amazing,’” she said. “She just started hurdling not too long ago, so I think she’s doing really well.”

Cockrell too, who lowered his personal best time by 0.77 seconds.

“I’ve always considered myself a showgirl,” Cockrell said. “When the lights come on, I go out and perform.”

Coached by Bobby Kersee, McLaughlin-Levrone worked tirelessly for two years to reach this point. She also ran outside the spotlight. She competed in 200- and 400-meter sprints, as well as short hurdles (100 meters and 60 meters indoors) to gain experience, speed and technique.

All of this was rewarded on Thursday with another record-breaking performance in front of a sold-out crowd.

“I knew it was possible,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who celebrated her birthday Wednesday. “I knew it would probably take a world record to win this race.”

She then walked the runway wearing a tiara that her sister-in-law had brought her.

“I just hoped it would be a worthy race to wear (the tiara),” McLaughlin-Levrone said.

She burst onto the sports scene as a teenager, thanks to her unique ability to juggle while riding a unicycle. She competed in the 2016 Olympics at the age of 17.

The New Jersey sprinter, who attended the University of Kentucky and now lives in Los Angeles, also won a gold medal in Tokyo as part of the women’s 4×400 relay.

She raises her hand to be part of the 4×400 relay team in Paris.

“I’m always here,” McLaughlin-Levrone said, “if they need me.”

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games