In a devastating message to his rivals for the World Cup in July, Sydney McLaughlin broke his own world record for the 400 meter hurdles on Saturday by winning a time of 51.41 in the United States qualifying tests.
McLaughlin shaved five-hundredths of a second from her previous world record of 51.46 seconds, which she set by winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics on August 4 last year.
The 22-year-old American established herself as the favorite for the World Cup (July 15-24) with a devastating performance on Saturday on the same stage as that event, Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Second-placed Britton Wilson crossed the finish line more than a second behind McLaughlin in 53.08, with Shamier Little third in 53.92.
This trio will represent the United States in the World Cup together with Dalilah Muhammad, automatically classified as the current champion.
Muhammad, who beat McLaughlin in 2019 in Doha but trailed behind her in Tokyo 2020, was given a waiver to avoid these tests and focus on recovering from his hamstring injury.
Absent Muhammad, McLaughlin found no rival on Saturday on the track at Hayward Field, where a year ago he broke the world record for the first time.
“Every time I come here I feel like something amazing is going to happen,” McLaughlin said.
“This is a great indicator of where we are,” the American said of her new record. “I hope we go back home and work on some things and try to come back and make it better.”
