McLaughlin makes sub-51 history on way to 400m hurdles gold

From the moment the hush at the Hayward Field was shattered by the crack of the gun to when Sydney McLaughlin breezed past the finishing line, there was a sense of inevitability.

The kind that precedes seminal moments of grit and greatness. Still, even the firmest of believers wouldn’t have seen it coming. 50.68 seconds, flashed the screen, and with it, the 22-year-old phenom had obliterated her world record by 0.73 seconds.

Crouching in Lane 5, flanked by defending champion Delilah Muhammad in Lane 6 and Tokyo bronze medallist Femke Bol in Lane 4, it seemed McLaughlin would be in for some tough love. There was also Britton Wilson, the third fastest 400m hurdler this year; Shamier Little, the fifth fastest 400m woman hurdler in history; and Rushell Clayton, the bronze medallist from 2019 Worlds, for company. Beating a world-class field is one thing; smashing it with the fastest time ever is something else.

Outrageous, outwardly, outstanding — take your pick. Truth is, there is hardly a word that fully encapsulates the import of the first-ever sub-51s women’s 400mH in history. McLaughlin burst through the blocks and recorded the best times after each 100m; the early lead swelling with each passing second.

Her nimble limbs working like well-oiled pistons under the deafening cheers of a disbelieving audience, McLaughlin kept widening the gap between her and Muhammad and Bol, who have the second and third best times in this discipline, with each rhythmic stride. Sure enough, when McLaughlin crossed the finish line, Muhammad, who finished third, was not in the frame while silver medallist Bol laboured on the periphery. Both ladies recorded their personal bests, by the way.

McLaughlin sat motionless on the track as the clock finally seemed to have stopped on her. Her winning time was faster than the seventh and eighth-placed times in the women’s flat 400m final earlier in the day. “I was just trying to process the lactic acid, and I was taking a moment to enjoy what had happened,” she said.

A running prodigy, McLaughlin broke the U-18 world record in 2016 shaving 1.05 seconds from the then 32-year-old mark. The U-20 record was next to fall, McLaughlin bettering it by 1.65 seconds in 2018. In between, she made her maiden Olympics appearance — at 16, McLaughlin was the youngest member of the US track team at the 2016 Rio Games. She couldn’t make the final — won by Muhammad — but the journey had just begun.

She spent a year competing at the University of Kentucky and won the NCAA 400m hurdles title before taking silver at the 2019 Worlds, again won by Muhammad. That was the last time she would finish second best. After a locked-down 2020, McLaughlin emerged an unstoppable, running machine that has gone undefeated in 14 races now. A maiden world championships gold seemed pre-ordained for the first woman to dip under the 51 and 52-second marks.

There could be more in store too. “Sky is the limit,” she said after the race, even as Muhammad backed her to go under 49 seconds someday. It may not be too far.

Norman takes men’s 400m

US Michael Norman produced a gritty performance to win men’s 400m gold in a stacked field on Friday. The 24-year-old entered the competition with a world-leading time (43.56s) and the crushing pressure of expectations that comes with it.

Powering through in his trademark white head, Norman overtook 2011 world and 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada with about 80 metres to go and powered to the finish in 44.29 seconds.

James took silver in 44.48 seconds while Matthew Hudson-Smith, who has had a tough time with injuries in recent years, collected bronze in 44.66 for Britain.

Only three men have broken 10 seconds for the 100m, 20 seconds for the 200m, and 44 seconds for the 400m, and two of them — Norman and South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk — were in Friday’s final. Newly-crowned 100m champion Fred Kerley is the other.

World record holder Van Niekerk, coming back after a series of injuries, was unable to sustain his challenge, fading to finish fifth.

Miller-Uibo wins women’s 400m

Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller-Uibo claimed her first world outdoor title with a thrilling performance in the women’s 400m final, taking gold with a world-leading time of 49.11 seconds.

The two-time Olympic champion built the lead at halfway even as Sada Williams of Barbados and Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic remained in hot pursuit. However, Miller-Uibo showed her class down the straight and opened an advantage that grew with every powerful stride.

Paulino took silver in 49.60 and Williams was third with a national record time of 49.75, becoming the first Barbadian woman to win a world medal.