Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shattered a 19-year-old American record in the 400m in the semifinals of the World Track and Field Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the two-time Olympic champion and six-time world record breaker in the 400m hurdles, clocked 48.29 seconds in the flat 400m, the 11th-fastest time in history.
“Wasn’t expecting that,” she told Lewis Johnson on NBC Sports. “Clearly shows me that my fitness is there.”
McLaughlin-Levrone, whose previous best was 48.74, took down the American record of 48.70 recorded by 2012 Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross on this day in 2006.
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In Thursday’s final, McLaughlin-Levrone faces a field including Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who won the 2024 Olympic