Tokyo 2020 | Athletics: Sydney McLaghlin, also record-breaking

It has become clear that the 400 meter hurdles is the test of the Games. There were huge expectations for what this specialty could give of itself in both men and women, and the result has been even better than expected. Sydney McLaughlin did not want to be less than Warholm and has set the new world record for the specialty. Tokyo moves at a record pace in two morning sessions to remember. The American broke the record a month before traveling to the Games and at age 21 became the first woman to drop below 52 seconds on the hurdles lap. Today, spurred on by what she saw yesterday, she has taken advantage of the conditions of the Olympic Stadium to take a leap that does not detract at all from what she experienced yesterday, because McLaughlin has made 51.46, that is, 44 hundredths less than his previous record.

If yesterday’s race for men was historic because of the quality of their brands, today’s race has been historic, the first time that two women run the specialty below 52 seconds. The winner has done it and also Dalilah Muhammad, who has finally broken that barrier by scoring 51.98, and Femke Bol, third, has stayed at 52.03, which is the third best mark of all time and of course and long , the European record. Another marvel of 400 hurdles that has had similarities with yesterday, because McLaughlin, a 21-year-old talent who passes the hurdles as if nothing, has had the opposition of two rivals who have gone for everything, and therefore they have forced to demand the maximum, hence the result that has registered the chrono.

Born in 1999 in Dunellen, a New Jersey town, McLaughlin seemed destined to be an exceptional athlete. His father Willie was a semi-finalist in the 400 meters at the 1984 Games, while his mother Mary was a runner in high school, specialist in 400 and 800 meters. And his older brother, Taylor, won silver in the 400m hurdles of the 2016 U-20 World Cup. “There is some pressure to live up to the McLaughlin name,” Sydney acknowledged in a recent interview about that family saga. “They all played other sports like soccer and basketball,” his father explained, “but we knew they would follow the path. We started them into athletics when they were around 8 years old and so we are not surprised by what Taylor and Sydney have done. They have been prepared for this. We are very proud of them.

But one of the fundamental data on which the Sydney explosion is based is his relationship with an active legend of athletics such as Allyson Felix. When McLaughlin turned pro in 2018, Felix’s brother Wes became his agent, and this season the hurdler has become known to be in Bobby Kersee’s training pool, after a few years with Joanna Hayes, gold. in Athens’2004 in 100 meters hurdles.

That means that McLaughlin trains alongside Allyson Felix, who has become a reference for this young athlete who is already in the history of the Games. “I learn a lot every training day, just by being there and watching him do things. It has been a great experience being with her and Bobby. I try to make the most of this moment because she is already at the end of her career, “he said. She is at the beginning, but she is already an Olympic champion and world record holder at 21 years old.