Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shattered a 19-year-old American record in the 400m in the semifinals of the World Track and Field Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the two-time Olympic champion and six-time world record breaker in the 400m hurdles, clocked 48.29 seconds in the flat 400m, the 11th-fastest time in history.
“Wasn’t expecting that,” she told Lewis Johnson on NBC Sports. “Clearly shows me that my fitness is there.”
McLaughlin-Levrone, whose previous best was 48.74, took down the American record of 48.70 recorded by 2012 Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross on this day in 2006.
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In Thursday’s final, McLaughlin-Levrone faces a field including Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who won the 2024 Olympic title in 48.17.
That’s the only time run by anybody in the last five years that is faster than McLaughlin-Levrone’s 48.29.
McLaughlin-Levrone switched to the flat 400m this season in a bid to become the first person to win world titles in both the flat event and the hurdles.