McLaughlin-Levrone strikes again
American sets sixth world record in women's 400 hurdles in Olympic Games in Paris
Thanks to track and field megastar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, an epic showdown that had been highly anticipated for months turned into a rout in the Olympic Games in Paris on Thursday.
American McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol of the Netherlands had entered the women’s 400-meter hurdles as the two fastest performers in history with personal bests of 50.65 and 50.95 seconds, respectively. But when it was over, McLaughlin-Levrone had lowered her world record to 50.37 and Bol had finished a distant third in 52.15.
American Anna Cockrell won the silver medal when she ran 51.87 to lower her previous best by nearly eight tenths of a second and become the fourth fastest performer in the event’s history.
Teammate Jasmine Jones finished fourth in 52.29 to move to fifth on the all-time performer list and she was followed by Jamaicans Rushell Clayton in 52.68 and Shiann Salmon in 53.29.
It was the first race in history in which five women had run under 53 seconds.
“Grateful to God for this opportunity, grateful to be celebrating my 25th birthday like this. It was yesterday, just a super opportunity, you can’t even imagine,” McLaughlin-Levrone said in a World Athletics post. “It’s amazing to see our sport continue to grow, for people to want to watch the 400m hurdles. I knew it was going to be a tough race. An amazing competition all the way round.”
The world record was the sixth of McLaughlin-Levrone’s career and the second during the past 40 days as she had run 50.65 seconds in winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 30.
Many people, including yours truly, had assumed that performance made her the prohibitive favorite to successfully defend the Olympic title she had won in Tokyo in 2021 while she was setting her second world record of 51.46. But after Bol had lowered her best to 50.95 in a meet in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, on July 14 and followed that performance with a 51.30 clocking — then the fourth fastest in history — in a Diamond League meet in London six days later, she seemed capable of giving McLaughlin-Levrone a serious challenge in Paris.
After trailing McLaughlin-Levrone for the first three hurdles on Thursday, Bol basically ran even with her as they cleared the fourth and fifth barriers. But McLaughlin-Levrone had taken a small lead by the sixth hurdle that was 220 meters into the race. Her advantage had grown a little more by the seventh hurdle and it had expanded greatly by the time she cleared the eighth barrier at the 290-meter mark.
She had a lead of seven to eight meters over Bol approaching the ninth barrier with 75 meters left in the race, and barring anything unforeseen, the only question at that point was how fast would McLaughlin-Levrone run as no female 400 hurdler has ever covered the home straightaway as quickly as she does.
Running all the way through the finish line, as she has in each of her world records, McLaughlin-Levrone produced a time that was nearly two seconds faster than where it had stood — at 52.16 — prior to the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021.
Bol appeared to be visibly upset with herself shortly after the race and she admitted as much in the World Athletics post.
“All you want to do in an Olympic final is to put up your best race. I screwed it up,” she said. “I’m not sure where I made the mistake. I just got so much lactic acid with 300 metres to go. I’m not sure why, I really have no explanation. This is just a bad race. I’ll look at the positives, I’ll talk to my coach, I’ll try to enjoy the bronze.”
Despite the totality of her victory, McLaughlin-Levrone admitted she was nervous before running the race that gave her the three fastest times in history and seven of the top 11.
“1000%. Especially before the Olympic final,” she said. “There is so much talent in this event. There are also 10 barriers you have to get over to cross that finish line.
“There are always nerves, there was a lot of anticipation before this race and rightfully so. There’s so much depth with Femke and Anna.”
While McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record no doubt produced the greatest number of headlines to come out of the meet on Thursday, four other athletes turned in compelling efforts in winning their first Olympic titles during an evening session in which U.S. performers combined to win three gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals.
While McLaughlin-Levrone and Cockrell placed 1-2 in the 400 hurdles, the U.S. also received a 1-2 finish from Grant Holloway and Daniel Roberts in the men’s 110-meter high hurdles, a 1-3 finish from Tara Davis-Woodhall and Jasmine Moore in the women’s long jump, and a 2-3 finish in the men’s 200 from Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles.
While Lyles’ loss ended his bid to win both the 100 and 200 in the Games, 200 victor Letsile Tebogo of Botswana set an African record while becoming the first African to win that event in the Olympics.
In addition to all of the above, Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan won the men’s javelin after twice throwing beyond the previous Olympic record.
The 27-year-old Nadeem had thrown a national record of 90.18 meters (295 feet 10 inches) in winning the Commonwealth Games two years ago. But he had a so-so season best 1of 84.11 (275-11) entering the Olympics after undergoing knee surgery in February.
However, he upped that mark to 86.59 (284-1) on his lone throw in the qualifying round on Tuesday.
He fouled on his initial attempt in the final Thursday, but unleashed a 92.97 (305-0) effort in the second round that broke the Olympic record of 90.57 (297-1) set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008 and moved him to sixth on the all-time performer list.
He then had throws of 88.72 (291-1), 79.40 (260-6), and 84.87 (278-5) on his next three throws before unloading a 91.79 (301-1) effort on the final attempt of the competition that was the second longest of his career.
Defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India moved into second place in the second round when he threw a season best of 89.45 (293-5), but he fouled on his four remaining efforts while vainly trying to catch or surpass Nadeem.
Anderson Peters of Grenada, the World champion in 2019 and ’22, won the bronze medal with a best of 88.54 (290-6). He was followed by European champion Jakub Vadlejch of Czechia at 88.50 (290-4), Julius Yego of Kenya at 87.72 (287-9), and Julian Webber of Germany at 87.40 (286-9).
Nadeem’s victory gave Pakistan its first-ever medal in track and field in the Olympic Games, as well as its first medal in any sport since the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
“I was expecting and hoping to even go further but ultimately, I am content with 92.97m as it allowed me to win the gold," he said in a World Athletics post. “But I will continue working harder to extend this throw to over 95 metres.”
The world record of 98.48 (323-1) was set by Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic in 1996.
Frankie Fredericks of Namibia had won his second consecutive silver medal in the men’s 200 meters in the 1996 Games in Atlanta, but that was as close as an African sprinter had come to winning an Olympic title in the event until Thursday when the 21-year-Tebogo set a continental record of 19.46 to finish comfortably ahead of second-place Bednark in 19.62 and third-place Lyles in 19.70.
Erriyon Knighton of the U.S., the silver medalist in last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, placed fourth in 19.99, followed by Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic in 20.02 and Tapiwanashe Makarawu of Zimbabwe in 20.10.
Tebogo, whose mother Seratiwa died in May, had finished sixth in the 100 on Sunday with a national record of 9.86 that left him seventh hundredths of a second behind first-place Lyles. But he had finished ahead of Lyles in winning a semifinal on Wednesday and he was in the lead coming out of the turn in the final on Thursday.
Bednarek and Lyles, who had finished second and third in the 200 behind Andre De Grasse of Canada in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, were not that far behind the smooth-striding Tebogo as they entered the home straightaway. But he simply pulled away from them during the final 50 meters of the race and pounded his chest with his right hand twice before crossing the finish line with a time that bettered his previous African record of 19.50, was tied for the ninth fastest in history, and moved him to fifth on the all-time performer list.
It also made him the first Botswanan to win an Olympic gold medal in any sport.
“It was really a beautiful race for me,” he said in a World Athletics post after paying tribute to his mom. “When we made it to the final, my coach just told me: ‘Now my job is done, it’s up to you to see what you can do. Whether it’s a medal or not, just finish the race healthy.’ That’s all I could have wished for. I’m happy I finished the race healthier than before.”
He then spoke about the significance of becoming the first African to win an Olympic title in the men’s 200 meters.
“It means a lot to the African continent because now they see Africa as a sprinting home," he said. “So, we just had to make sure that the message is loud and clear.”
Lyles, who had won 17 consecutive finals in the 200 until Thursday, was helped off the track in a wheel chair and later explained that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
“I still wanted to run, it was still possible, we just stayed away from everybody," Lyles said in the World Athletics post. “I knew that if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I have from the get-go. I didn’t have any time to save energy. That was the strategy.”
After winning the past three World outdoor championships in the 110-meter high hurdles and the last two in the 60 high hurdles indoors, Holloway won his first Olympic title on Thursday after Hansle Parchment of Jamaica had upset him for the gold medal in Tokyo.
The 26-year-old Holloway had run significantly faster than any of his fellow competitors in Paris entering the final as he had clocked 13.01 in a first-round heat on Sunday and 12.98 in a semifinal on Wednesday. But he knew better than anyone that those performances would be for naught if he were beaten in the final.
Running in lane six, Holloway had Jamaican Rasheed Broadbell to his left in lane five and Jamaican Orlando Bennett to his right in seven.
Bennett had posted the second-fastest time in the semifinals with a personal best of 13.09. But as Holloway typically does, he came out of the blocks quicker than anyone in the final and he was never seriously challenged for the gold medal as he crossed the finish line in 12.99, a tenth of a second ahead of Roberts and Broadbell, who were each credited with times of 13.09.
Enrique Llopis of Spain finished fourth in 13.20, followed by Rachid Muratake of Japan in 13.21 and American Freddie Crittenden in 13.32.
Bennett placed seventh in 13.34 and Parchment finished eighth in 13.39 after getting off to a slow start and never recovering.
Roberts had run a personal best of 12.96 in finishing third behind Holloway (12.86) and Crittenden (12.93) in the U.S. Trials, but he smacked the third and fourth hurdles on Thursday and he also hit the 10th.
Holloway’s winning time was his fifth sub-13 clocking of this season, the most he has ever had. But the victory was what mattered most.
“It means the world," Holloway said in a World Athletics post. “To complete the career grand slam is what I’ve been wanting. I’m beside myself right now. I'm so happy about everything going on. I knew I was in shape, I knew I was capable of completing this feat.
“I’ve been hurdling so well this year, I’m in great shape, I just want to keep this going. I’m looking forward to what’s to come. The future is so bright.”
Davis-Woodhall had been the most consistent female long jumper in the world this year entering the Olympics, but many form charts tabbed her to finish second behind defending Olympic and two-time World champion Maliaka Mihambo of Germany, who had produced a yearly world-leading mark of 7.22 (23-8¼) in winning the European Athletics Championships in June.
However, Davis-Woodhall won her eighth meet of the season without a loss when she leaped 7.10 (23-3½). She also had a jump of 7.05 (23-1¾) that would have been good enough to win the competition in which Mihambo placed second at 6.98 (22-10¾) and Moore finished third at 6.96 (22-10).
It was the second bronze medal of the Games for Moore, as she had placed third in the triple jump on Saturday.
Larissa Iapichino of Italy placed fourth in the long jump at 6.87 (22-6½) and she was followed by Ese Brume of Nigeria at 6.70 (21-11¾) and Monae Nichols of the U.S. at 6.67 (21-10¾).
The 25-year-old Davis Woodhall had taken the lead with a 6.93 (22-9) effort on her first jump, but Moore moved past her four jumpers later when she leaped 6.96 (22-10).
Davis-Woodhall regained the lead when she spanned 7.05 (23-1¾) in the second round and she followed that with a jump of 6.95 (22-9¾) in the third.
She expanded her lead further when she leaped 7.10 (23-3½) in the fourth round before jumping 6.61 (21-8¼) and 6.68 (21-11) on her final two jumps.
Mihambo had leaped 6.95 (22-9¾) in the third round to pull with a centimeter of second-place Moore and she surpassed her in the fifth when she leaped 6.98. But when she fouled on her sixth jump, Davis-Woodhall had an Olympic title to go with the World indoor championship she won in March.
She has now surpassed 7.00 (22-11¾) in six consecutive meets.
“I’ve been saying this, I’ve dreamed of this moment my entire life – four years old when I started track and field,” Davis-Woodhall said in a World Athletics post. “I’ve been telling myself all year: 8-0-8, that’s the day we win the Olympics. 8-0-8, that’s the day.”
The first day of the heptathlon was also contested on Thursday, as were the semifinals of the women’s 1,500 meters, the qualification round of the women’s shot put, and the heats of the men’s and women’s 4 x 100 relays.
Reigning World heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain led that combined event with a score of 4,055 points after the first four events.
She was followed by two-time defending Olympic champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium with 4,007 points, last year’s World championships silver medalist Anna Hall of the U.S. with 3,956, Nor Vidts of Belgium with 3,951, Sofie Dokter of the Netherlands with 3,893, and Annik Kalin of Switzerland with 3,834.
Johnson-Thompson, 31, had totaled 6,740 points in edging Hall for the World title last year, and each of her four marks on Thursday were better than what she had put up in the global title meet.
She was in eighth place after running 13.40 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles to start the meet, but she moved into first place in the overall standings after clearing 1.92 (6-3½) in the high jump before falling into second behind Thiam after she put the shot 14.44 (47-4½). She then regained the lead when her 23.44 clocking in the 200 meters picked up 98 points on Thiam, who ran 24.46 in that event.
Friday’s competition will start with the long jump, an event in which Johnson-Thompson and Thiam have put up fairly comparable marks. However, Thiam is expected to pick a lot of points on her British counterpart in the javelin, whereas Johnson-Thompson is a substantially faster performer in the 800 meters, the final event of the heptathlon.
Hall has been the best heptathlete in the world in the 800 for the past two years, but like Johnson-Thompson, she is expected to give up a lot of points to Thiam in the javelin.
Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands, who was in ninth place with 3,767 points after Thursday, is expected to lose ground to Johnson-Thompson, Thiam, and Hall in the long jump. But she is an extremely good javelin thrower who could make up a decent amount of points on Thiam in that event, and a lot of points on Johnson-Thompson and Hall. However, she does not have a history of performing well in the 800.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia, the gold and silver medalists in the women’s 1,500 in last year’s World Championships, won their respective semifinals in that event on Thursday.
Kipyegon, who is trying to win an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic title, placed first in the first semifinal with a time of 3:58.64. The second- and third-place finishers were Georgia Bell of Great Britain in 3:59.49 and Elle St. Pierre of the U.S. in 3:59.74.
The early pace was notably quicker in the second semifinal than in the first as Welteji ran 3:55.10, followed by Jessica Hull of Australia in 3:55.40 and Nikki Hiltz of the U.S. in 3:56.17.
Emily Mackay of the U.S., the bronze medalist in the World indoor championships in March, was a notable non-qualifier as she finished 13th in 4:02.03 in the second semifinal.
The top six finishers in each semifinal advanced to the final on Saturday,
Sarah Mitton of Canada, the silver medalist in the women’s shot put in last year’s World Championships, led qualifying in that event with a best of 19.77 (64-10½).
She was followed by Maddison-Lee Wesche of New Zealand at 19.25 (63-2), Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany at 19.24 (63-1½), and Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands at 18.92 (62-1).
A notable non-qualifier was Chase Jackson of the U.S.
The two-time defending World champion finished 17th in the qualifying round with a best put of 17.60 (57-9).
That mark had come in the third — and final — round after she fouled on her first two attempts.
In the men’s 4 x 100 relay, the U.S. and China each placed first in their respective heats.
A U.S. team of Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kyree King, and Courtney Lindsey clocked 37.47 seconds in the first heat. The other two automatic qualifying spots went to South Africa at 37.94 and Great Britain at 38.04.
Japan and defending Olympic champion Italy also advanced to the final on Friday when they recorded times of 38.06 and 38.07, respectively, while finishing fourth and fifth in that heat.
A Chinese quartet of Zhijian Deng, Zhenye Xie, Haibin Yan, and Jiapeng Chen timed 38.24 in the second heat, followed by teams from France (38.34) and Canada (38.39).
A Jamaican team of Ackeem Blake, Jelani Walker, Jehlani Gordon, and Kishane Thompson finished fourth in 38.45 and did not advance to the final.
In the women’s 4 x 100 relays, teams from the U.S. and Great Britain won their respective heats.
A U.S. squad of Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry, Gabby Thomas, and Sha’Carri Richardson clocked 41.94 in the first heat. The other two automatic qualifying spots went to Germany at 42.15 and Switzerland at 42.38.
A British team of Bianca Williams, Imani Lansiquot , Amy Hunt, and Desiree Henry timed 42.03 in the second heat, followed by France in 42.13 and Jamaica in 42.35. Canada and the Netherlands qualified on time, running 42.50 and 42.64, respectively, while finishing in fourth and fifth place.
In addition to the second day of the heptathlon, today’s schedule will include finals in the men’s 400-meter intermediates hurdles and in the women’s 400 and 10,000. It will also include finals in the men’s and women’s 4 x 100 relay, as well as in the men’s triple jump and the women’s shot put.
You can click here for a daily schedule of events, as well as start lists and up-to-date results.