“I want to be the best well-rounded athlete I can be, and this is one of those challenges that I think I had been putting off for myself,” said the queen of hurdling, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, explaining why she stepped up to the 400m flats, even though the 400m hurdles is her stronghold. With stars like Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser in the mix, experts expected her quest to cement her legacy to be anything but easy. But McLaughlin-Levrone had other plans. She not only proved she belongs in the spotlight but even smashed a decade-old record effortlessly.

During the heats, she crossed the finish line in 49.59 seconds, securing her spot in the semifinals and signaling that Sanya Richards-Ross’ 2006 400m record of 48.70 seconds was within reach. Surprisingly, the moment came sooner than expected. Winning the third of three semifinals over Great Britain’s Amber Anning (49.38s) and Nickisha Pryce (49.46s) on Tuesday, McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 48.29, smashing the 19-year-old American 400-meter record. In doing so, the hurdler also successfully topped her own lifetime best from 2022 (48.74s) and moved to seventh on the all-time list. Wanna hear something even better?

In an instance that can only be described by serendipity, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the record on the exact date Richards-Ross did 19 years ago. As for others, surprisingly, defending champ Paulino finished seventh (49.82s), while Naser, chasing her second world title after 2019 in Doha, ran fourth (49.47s). However, Eid Naser had dominated Heat 2 with a 49.47, while Paulino clocked 49.82 in Heat 1. Now it’s the showdown between these three biggest stars in the sport. And the latest feat will only be the perfect fuel the US star needs.

Speaking to the media, the athlete stated, “This race definitely gives me confidence for the final. I just want to go out there and execute well again. I didn’t expect to run this fast today. I still have more to show. I feel strong and good, and have confidence in my fitness. I will give everything I have in the final.” With back-to-back stellar performances like this, she is undoubtedly on the verge of claiming the gold medal. To put it in perspective, ever since her USATF victory, she has been openly chasing records and pushing the limits of what’s possible.

Talking about her performance, the athlete further explained, “Honored for sure. Definitely wasn’t expecting that time, but it just shows the fitness is there. Excited for the finals, and grateful to have taken down a record by an amazing woman.” 

But, while she is grateful to have broken the record of a legend, she’s not done just yet…

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is now looking to break the world record

She has shattered the 400m hurdles record six times and is already a global sensation, but she’s not stopping there. Eyes firmly set on the future, she’s even aiming to challenge the 400m flat world record. Before her stellar performance at the Tokyo World’s, she sat down with the media and revealed her ambitious target: the legendary East German Marita Koch’s 47.60s mark set back in 1985.

“It’s a pretty old record. Someone will definitely break it when the time comes. Everything is possible; there is no limit. Anyway, I will do my best to run a perfect race. I look forward to everyone coming to watch the race!” she said.

For the hurdler, though, it shouldn’t be too difficult as she’s already done it six times in the 400m hurdles. So, for the time being, all we can do is wait till the unattainable feat becomes just another entry in McLaughlin-Levrone’s stellar resume. Do you think she’ll be able to do it?