American McLaughlin smashes her own 400m hurdles world record (50.68) in Eugene. /
Athletics
American McLaughlin smashes her own 400m hurdles world record (50.68) in Eugene
Sydney McLaughlin’s was probably the most impressive performance of the Eugene World Championship. The American, who was already a world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles and who this same season had improved the record again (51.41, on June 26), flew in the final and destroyed the clock. With 50.68, the 22-year-old local athlete gave her rivals no chance. She ran as if there were no fences. The Dutch Femke Bol, silver with 52.27, and the American Dalilah Muhammad could only watch from a distance as McLaughlin, with her beautiful style, made history.
His is a world record that is right up there with the one achieved by Norway’s Karsten Warholm at the Tokyo Games last year. 45.94 made the Nordic there, improving the record widely (46.70 was). In fact, the wide difference with which the records improve is practically the same.
In the final of the 400 meters he would have finished in seventh position. And in Spain, only Sandra Myers’ impossible record (49.67) is better than McLaughlin’s time. “My record is incredible. Now I have to find out what other barriers I can break. I will run faster”, assured this young woman to whom the new shoes, with a plate, have helped her to be now even close to losing 50 seconds in this test, something unthinkable until recently. Probably in the 400 meter hurdles it is the test in which the athletes benefit the most from these technological innovations.
On the eighth day, in addition to the amazing final of the women’s 400 meters hurdles, the 400 meters were disputed. The Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, with 49.11, hung the gold. And the American Michael Norman, with 44.29, was the fastest among the men, with the return of the South African Wayde Van Niekerk (world record holder) to a grand final. He finished fifth. In the women’s javelin, victory for the Australian Kelsey-Lee Barber (66.91 meters).
The Spanish 4×100, to the final
Only the United States beat the Spanish women’s 4×100 in their semifinal. Maribel Pérez, Sonia Molina-Prados, Jael Bestué and Paula Sevilla became the first female quartet from Spain to qualify for a short relay final. And with 42.61 they widely beat the national record. They had never dropped below 43 seconds.
