Shortly after Sydney McLaughlin had shattered her own world 400m hurdles record in the performance of these championships – in fact most championships – she was presented with her gold medal and a $100,000 (£83,000) bonus by the World Athletics president, Sebastian Coe. “It’s the best 100 grand I’ve spent today,” he said.
Like everyone else in Eugene, Coe was enthralled after a spectacular performance by the 22-year-old American, who has set world records at every age category since she was 14 and shows no signs of stopping. The Olympic champion’s latest victory, in an extraordinary 50.68sec, was her best yet. Not only did it slash 0.73 seconds off her previous mark set on Hayward Field last month, it also made her the first woman to run under 51 seconds in the event.
It was the sixth time in three years the world record has been broken, after Russian Yulia Pechonkina’s mark of 52.34sec had stood for 16 years. For good measure, McLaughlin was also well clear of the next two best 400m hurdlers in history, with the Netherlands’ Femke Bol taking silver in 52.27sec and her US compatriot Dalilah Muhammad claiming bronze in 53.13sec.
Her fellow medallists were asked if they thought 50.68sec was a time they ever thought possible. “I definitely thought 50 was possible and after that race I think 49 is possible – by Sydney,” said Muhammad, laughing.
The scary news for her rivals is that McLaughlin said: “We thought we’d be able to go a little bit faster. But we’re super grateful with that time. Anything under 51 was a win for us.
“I think there’s always more to improve upon. There’s always more that can be shaven off, for sure. There’s no such thing as a perfect race, but I don’t think that was a super-clean race.”
It was the first world record broken at this year’s world championships, the first on US soil, and a much-needed boost for the American women, who have excelled in the field events but had been shut out on the track. McLaughlin’s accomplishment sent shockwaves through the athletics world. “She’s just special,” Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in track, wrote on Twitter. “In a class of her own.”
McLaughlin said she felt like she was in a “flow state” during those 50 seconds where she was “putting everything you’ve done in practice into the race, just letting your body do what it does … releasing the gifts and talents that God’s given you.”
Now, though, new frontiers await – with McLaughlin planning to discuss a potential crack at the 400m or even the 110m hurdles with her coach, Bobby Kersee, in the coming months.
“Me and Bobby are going to decide if this is still an event I even want to do, or if we’re going to find something else because I think we’ve accomplished so much in it,” she said. “It could be the 400m. Anything is possible. Bobby will let me know. I follow what he says. There’s talk of doubles, talks of switching. Honestly, I have no clue.”
