400 meter hurdles Olympic gold and World Record for Sydney McLaughlin
Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
The 400-meter hurdles for women looked mouth-watering beforehand concerning the recent performances of two Americans and one Dutch lady. Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin representing America are athletes of sublime class. This applies to records broken by both athletes in the past and Muhammad winning the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
However, the young Femke Bol from Holland (the Netherlands) is starting to progress rapidly. Hence, neither McLaughlin nor Muhammad could take anything for granted.
Muhammad set the early blistering pace. Thus by 200 meters, she was clearly in front. However, with 100 meters to go, it was evident that McLaughlin was gaining ground and looking strong. Bol, also, despite her relative inexperience compared to McLaughlin and Muhammad, was still in the mix.
Yet, in the final part of the race, it became apparent that McLaughlin would win gold. The blistering early pace set by Muhammad caught up with her in the final 50 meters of the race. However, she held on for the silver medal. Meanwhile, Bol was only 0.57 behind the winner McLaughlin despite her relative inexperience.
Immediately after the race, McLaughlin looked up at the clock and saw a new world record of 51.46. Muhammad clocked an amazing 51.58, which was inside the former world record set by McLaughlin. Bol also recorded a national and European record of 52.03. Therefore, all three ladies participated in the greatest 400 meters hurdles in the history of this event.
McLaughlin said, “What a great race. I’m just grateful to be out here celebrating that extraordinary race and representing my country.”
Muhammad, graceful in defeat, said, “Just like the men’s race, all three of our times would have won any Olympics, any other year. I’m so proud to be part of that history and even more proud of my teammate Sydney. I’m just happy it’s a one-two final for USA, and today I’m happy with second.”
Bol, despite coming third, now knows she also belongs to the esteemed elite of 400 meters hurdles alongside McLaughlin and Muhammad. If all stay healthy, then the world is blessed to see new encounters in the future.
For now, the race and world record of 51.46 will remain vivid in the memory for years to come!
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