“I want to be the best well-rounded athlete I can be, and this is one of those challenges that I think I had been putting off for myself,” said the queen of hurdling, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, explaining why she stepped up to the 400m flats, even though the 400m hurdles is her stronghold. With stars like Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser in the mix, experts expected her quest to cement her legacy to be anything but easy. But McLaughlin-Levrone had other plans. She not only proved she belongs in the spotlight but even smashed a decade-old record effortlessly.

During the heats, she crossed the finish line in 49.59 seconds, securing her spot in the semifinals and signaling that Sanya Richards-Ross’ 2006 400m record of 48.70 seconds was within reach. Surprisingly, the moment came sooner

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