Sydney McLaughlin pushes boundaries with huge 400m hurdles world record

Shortly after Sydney McLaughlin had shattered her own world 400m hurdles record in the performance of these championships – in fact most championships – she was presented with her gold medal and a $100,000 bonus by the World Athletics president Seb Coe. “It’s the best 100 grand I’ve spent today,” he joked.

Like everyone else in Eugene, Coe was enthralled after a spectacular performance by the 22-year-old American, who has set world records at every age category since she was 14 and shows no signs of stopping. And the Olympic champion’s latest victory, in an extraordinary 50.68sec, was her best yet. Not only did it slash 0.73sec off her previous mark set on Hayward Field last month, it also made her the first woman to run under 51 seconds in the event.

It was the sixth time in three years that the world record has been broken, after Russian Yulia Pechonkina’s mark of 52.34sec had stood for 16 years. For good measure, McLaughlin was also miles clear of the next two best 400m hurdlers in history, with the Netherlands’ Femke Bol taking silver in 52.27sec and her US compatriot Dalilah Muhammad claiming bronze in 53.13sec.

Later in the night, her fellow medallists were asked if they thought 50.68sec was a time they ever thought possible. “I definitely thought 50 was possible, and after that race I think 49 is possible – by Sydney,” laughed Muhammad.

And the scary news for her rivals is that McLaughlin believes she could have gone even quicker. “We thought we’d be able to go a little bit faster,” she said. “But we’re super grateful with that time. Anything under 51 was a win for us. I think there’s always more to improve upon. There’s always more that can be shaven off, for sure. There’s no such thing as a perfect race, but I