How many times has Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broken the 400m world record? All about the Olympic champion's dominance in the sport

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Oct 27, 2024 03:26 GMT

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the current world record holder in women's 400m hurdles. The American has broken the record six times at senior level, alongside a junior world record she created in 2018.

McLaughlin-Levrone had made her Olympic debut when she was 16 years old, at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She made it to the semifinals of the 400m hurdles event, but couldn't go beyond it. That was the first and the only time the American hurdler lost a race at the Olympics.

Two years after this, McLaughlin-Levrone broke a world record for the first time. At the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the then 18-year-old broke the junior world record in the 400m hurdles, clocking 53.60 seconds.

The same year, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the junior world record in the 400m [indoor] at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, where she clocked 50.36 seconds. However, it was at the US Olympic Trials in 2021, when the American hurdler finally broke the world record for the 400m hurdles set by Dalilah Muhammad.

Following are the six occasions when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world record in style in the women's 400m hurdles event :

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The six occasions when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world record in women's 400m hurdles

#1) US Olympic Trials [2021]

The trials for the U.S. OIympic track and field team for the Tokyo Olympics was the first occasion when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone showed her mettle in the 400m hurdles event. She surprised the then world record holder and reigning Olympic champion, Dalilah Muhammad, to record 51.90 seconds, becoming the first female athlete to break the 52 second barrier.

#2) Tokyo Olympics [2021]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in action at the Tokyo Olympics [Image Source : Getty]

The Tokyo Olympics only proved that what McLaughlin-Levrone achieved at the US Olympic trials was no fluke. The American hurdler broke her record set only months ago, to win the Olympic gold medal with a new world record timing of 51.46 seconds.

#3) USATF Championships [2022]

Before the World Championships, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world record for the third time at the 2022 USATF Championships. The margin this time was lesser than the previous occasions, with a difference of only 0.05 seconds. However, the timing of 51.41 seconds was still a new world record.

#4) World Athletics Championships [2022]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won her first ever World Championships gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon. The then 22-year-old hurdler achieved it in style, breaking the 51-second barrier to create a new world record of 50.68 seconds.

#5) US Olympic Trials [2024]

It had been more than a year since McLaughlin-Levrone had taken part in track and field events, due to recurring injuries. However, the 25-year-old world record holder announced her comeback by breaking her world record. McLaughlin-Levrone set a new record of 50.65 seconds to qualify for the Paris Olympics in style.

#6) Paris Olympics [2024]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after winning the 400m hurdles event at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source : Getty]

The question at Paris Olympics was not whether Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone would be able to defend her Olympic title, but whether she would break her world record again or not.

The journey wasn't a cakewalk, as the American hurdler faced stiff competiton from Femke Bol of Netherlands, who had recorded a personal best of 50.95 seconds before the quadrennial event at Paris. However, all doubts were laid to rest when McLaughlin-Levrone took the lead before the halfway mark and didn't stop until the