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"It's difficult for me to look beyond that" - Legendary athlete Sebastian Coe names Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's performance as best at Paris Olympics
Sebastian Coe, a former middle-distance runner and current World Athletics president, has chosen Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as the most outstanding performer at the 2024 Paris Olympics. McLaughlin-Levrone lowered her world record for the sixth time in the 400m hurdles final in the French capital, clinching the gold medal and leaving her biggest rival, Femke Bol, behind.
The pre-race favorite Dutch hurdler ultimately settled for bronze after competing with the American.
McLaughlin-Levrone had not run many 400m hurdles races in 2023 after ousting Bol at the 2022 World Championships. But coming into 2024, she maintained a strong trajectory leading up to the 2024 US Olympic Trials where she ran the 400m hurdles in a world record time of 50.65s, lowering her own record for the fifth time.
At the Paris Olympics, Mclaughlin-Levrone faced Bol for the first time since the 2022 Worlds and bested her in the 400m hurdles final. She also lowered her world record for the sixth time, running in 50.37s. Her stellar performance on August 9 has left track and field fans in awe, including the four-time Olympic medalist Coe, who said on the "Inside Track" podcast:
"There is no outstanding performance for me and it's invidious to pick one. But I think (if) just for (her) physical and mental supremacy on the day, then Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. It's difficult for me to look beyond that."
Bol too praised the New Jersey native for setting higher standards every time she graces the track to compete.
Sebastian Coe suggests raising the hurdles' height after the gold-winning feat by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
In a press conference after the 400m hurdles final at the Paris Olympics, Femke Bol said:
"I mean Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone really pushed the bar. I mean, she was running 50 when I was still running 52 and I think it really opened (one's) eyes that there was so much more possible because I like to sometimes think of limits, and I think I really learned to not do this and (to) see how much is possible, and once again she proved it."
Moreover, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has set the bar so high that Sebastian Coe has suggested that the height of the hurdles should be raised. He shared that the innovation team is working to solidify his plan. He said (via Athletics Weekly):
"The innovation team will be looking at all sorts of things. It’s very much a personal view, I’ve spoken to a couple of 400m hurdlers and they think that, actually, it’s probably something we might want to look at."
Apart from her victory in the hurdles race, McLaughlin-Levrone also contributed to the USA's gold medal in the 4x400m relay alongside teammates Gabby Thomas, Alexis Holmes, and Shamier Little.
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