After setting a new record in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made a candid confession. “Records come and go….” Despite being a 4x Olympic Gold medalist, she predicted no records stand too tall to fall. But who can break a record that was set close to 9 years ago? More importantly, despite breaking the record, who can leave with the feeling that there was more left in the tank? The answer…

Natalie Dumas it is! For those who haven’t been keeping track, this athlete from Eastern is New Jersey’s Girls’ Track Athlete of the Year for 2025. And she’s only been running for three years, yet has already broken a state record once held by Olympians. The writing was on the wall! In May, Dumas tied Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s New Jersey State 400-meter record at 51.87. This record was set back in 2016 and stood the test of time until it was Dumas’ blistering run. Now the young star is not tied anymore!

After tying the record, the next step was to etch that record to her own name. Just a few weeks later, Dumas now holds the record with a 51.14 in the 400-meter, thus setting the fastest time in the world this year for runners under 20 years old. But when the race, the crowd sighed, and the young star had her face planted on the field and yet she came home with the record.

At first, she thought she would end up second. “At the end of my 400, I had a small fall. I was so upset, I worked so hard for this. I was sitting there laying on the ground like, ‘I got second.’ And I lift my head up, and it said Natalie Dumas 1st place and I’m freaking out.” We have seen photo finishes for many of the races, but this one was entirely different. She would end the event with three national titles: the 400-meter, 400 hurdles, and 800-meter. And Dumas’ focus was only on 800m.

“I was most worried about winning [the 800-meter] than every other one, because this is the one I had to defend.” An elite mindset, as she had her eyes set on one and ended up with three. A mindset Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone would be proud of.

Inside how a junior beat Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s record

Who would have thought that the Freshman who joined the Eastern track team would break records a year later? That’s the rise and hard work that Dumas has put into it. But the head coach knew. “She’ll dig deep to find that extra gear,” said Mike Tangeman. The Eastern Regional High School Girls’ Track & Field Head Coach also revealed a fact that Dumas doesn’t shy away from learning. “She’s one of the most focused athletes I’ve ever coached.”

With that focused mind came, first came the record-tying run and then the record-breaking run. She “shocked” herself with the result by winning the 400-meter hurdles in the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. “I was in pure shock that I knew that I did it,” Dumas said. “The next day my phone blew up and I was freaking out because I never had my phone blow up like that before, and everything changed for me then.” So, what’s the next step after beating Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone‘s record?

A humble approach and celebrating with family and cake. “I haven’t even processed it,” Dumas said about winning her third national title. “I’m just excited to go home and eat cake.” She now enters the Senior year and surely has the dreams of competing at the Olympic stage one day. The next event for Dumas is the USATF Championship at Eugene, Oregon, where she will lock horns with some of the fastest athletes in the United States.