Sidney McLaughlin is still only 22 years old, but the American is already the winner of the 400-meter hurdles.
At the Tokyo Olympics she won gold in the 400-meter hurdles in 51″ 46, but last night (our time) she went another five hundred faster at the American Championships.
The track in Eugene, where the World Cup will start in 3 weeks, is clearly beneficial for McLaughlin.
At the Olympic trials last year, she actually set a world record with 51’90, a time that was improved in Tokyo and now again.
“When I come here, I feel like something great can happen,” the Tokyo Olympic champion smiled.
“This is a good sign of where I am,” the competition warned. “Hopefully I can improve a little bit now.”
Outgoing world champion Dalilah Muhammad will have got the message. She was not able to participate in trials due to injury, but she has a wild card for the World Cup.
In the trials, Alisson Felix could not get a World Cup ticket in the 400-meter race. And Felix, 36, was honest in her analysis: “This confirms that I made the right decision to retire after this season.”
“There’s nothing that can be done,” said the American, who has 11 Olympic medals. “For the first time I had the feeling that I couldn’t fight. You just have to be honest with that.” At the World Cup, you might still be working with the relief team.
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