Los Angeles: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shattered her own 400m hurdles world record on Sunday during the US trials in Eugene, Oregon, securing her spot at the Paris Olympics in remarkable fashion. Clocking a stunning 50.65 seconds, she eclipsed her previous record of 50.
68, which she had set at the same venue during the 2022 World Championships. The reigning Olympic champion surged out of the blocks and unleashed an unstoppable burst of speed in the final stretch, leaving her competitors trailing. Anna Cockrell finished a distant second with 52.
64 seconds, followed by Jasmine Jones at 52.77 seconds. After her extraordinary performance, McLaughlin-Levrone credited her faith, saying, "Honestly, praise God.
I was not expecting that, but he can do anything -- anything's possible in Christ. I'm just amazed, baffled, and shocked." This victory marks the 24-year-old's third Olympic appearance, having competed in Rio 2016 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.
With her dominance reaffirmed, McLaughlin-Levrone remains a strong contender for further gold medals, having previously triumphed in Tokyo and the World Championships. In the men's 400m hurdles, Rai Benjamin, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, also showcased his prowess by clinching victory in a world-leading time of 46.47 seconds.
Benjamin surged ahead early on the back straight and accelerated further in the final bend, finishing well ahead of C.J. Allen and Trevor Bassitt.
Benjamin, aiming to step out of the shadow of Norwegian s.
