Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone sets world record, repeats as Olympic 400-meter hurdle champion

Performing on the world’s biggest stages over the last few years, the dueling stars from the U.S. and the Netherlands met once again in the finals of the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the 2024 Summer Olympics .

This time, there wasn’t much suspense in it.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone improved on her own world record and finished well ahead of the pack for gold on Thursday night. U.S. teammate Anna Cockrell won silver and Femke Bol of the Netherlands took the bronze.

With a time of 50.37 seconds, the winner all but acknowledged running in a class of her own.

“Every race is you against 10 hurdles,” she said. “There are people who are going to push you, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t focus on the barriers in front of you.”

Bol lamented that she had “screwed it up” at some point in the grueling race.

“I just got so much lactic acid with 300 meters to go,” she said. “I’m not sure why. I really have no explanation.”

Thursday night marked the third time that McLaughlin-Levrone defeated Bol in a big race. At the Tokyo Games, she was first and Bol was third. At the 2022 world championships, they were first and second.

Coming into this meeting, Bol gained some momentum by helping her country to a come-from-behind victory over the U.S. in the 1,600-meter mixed relay. She felt good in the preliminary rounds and tried to relax before the final.

Maybe she should have been a little more worked up.

McLaughlin-Levrone, who has trained extensively in Los Angeles with acclaimed coach Bobby Kersee, said she felt nervous at the start.

“There is so much talent in this event,” she said.

Cockrell echoed that sentiment, saying that she and her fellow medalists represented a “renaissance” for the 400-meter hurdles with “so many people running so fast.”

On Thursday, after clearing the seventh hurdle, Cockrell thought to herself, “it’s go time.” Her personal best of 51.87 was enough to hold off Bol at 52.15.

McLaughlin-Levrone, meanwhile, had started strong and was opening a huge gap over the final 100 meters, pushed only by the roar of the crowd. It would become the sixth time she had set a world record.

Her sister-in-law handed her a crown to wear as she celebrated on the track.

“The event is just getting faster and faster,” she said. “Makes me want to figure out ways to improve.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .