American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added to her legend by winning another Olympic gold medal and setting another world record in the process.
McLaughlin-Levrone outran a very talented field to win the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympics on Thursday in Paris, France. McLauglin also set a new world record with a time of 50.37 seconds to win her second consecutive gold medal.
McLaughlin beat the old world record of 50.65 seconds, which she set on June 30 at the U.S. Olympic Qualifiers in Eugene, Oregon. Since winning the gold medal at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, she has broken the world record six times.
In what was billed as a major showdown against Dutch rival Femke Bol, McLaughlin-Levrone left the talented Dutch star behind with a stunning burst of acceleration on the final corner. As a bonus, McLaughlin-Levrone’s US teammate Anna Cockrell sprinted past Bol to win the silver medal with a personal best of 51.87.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s incredible performance was part of a two-day period of dominance by the Americans on the track and in the field.
The United States also took first and second place in the men’s 110-meter hurdles on Thursday. Grant Holloway won the gold medal and Daniel Roberts the silver. Holloway cemented his status as the world’s most dominant hurdler by posting a time of 12.99 seconds in the final. Roberts finished in 13.09.
St. Louis native Freddie Crittenden also made the finals, finishing in sixth place. Crittenden, who was a standout at McCluer North High before transferring to Michigan, battled through an injury brilliantly and fought his way through the repechage to earn a spot in the finals.
In the field events, American Tara Davis-Woodhall won the gold medal in the women’s long jump. Davis Woodhall shared the podium with fellow American Jasmine Moore, winning the bronze medal.
In the men’s 200-meter race, Americans Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles took silver and bronze medals, respectively. The two Americans finished behind Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who won the gold medal with a winning time of 19.46.
The highlight of Wednesday night’s track and field competition was Kansas City native Quincy Hall winning the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter race. Hall, a former standout runner at Raytown South, came in fourth place coming off the final turn before making an epic sprint in the final 100 meters to claim a dramatic victory. His winning time of 43.4 seconds was the fourth fastest in history.
In the women’s 200-meter race, American Gabby Thomas took the gold medal with a time of 21.8 seconds. It was the first individual gold medal for the former Harvard star, who won bronze in this event at the 2021 Olympics. Her fellow American Brittany Brown took third place and won the bronze medal.
