The American sprinter clocks speediest women’s 400m in four decades to win gold medal
The US athlete ran the speediest women’s 400 metres time in the last 40 years, clocking an impressive 47.78 seconds to claim global first place on the day.
McLaughlin-Levrone stormed through rainy the track in Tokyo to add her first international gold in the open 400m, adding on her previous achievements in the barrier races.
The reigning Olympic winner Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic came runner-up with a mark of 47.98 seconds, becoming her the number three female athlete in history. The bronze medal went to Bahrain’s, the ex- world champion, who clocked 48.19 sec.
"No one runs something like that without exceptional women driving you forward," she said after the race.
As she hit the line, McLaughlin-Levrone glanced at the clock and raised her palms on her forehead in visible disbelief. Now, several are wondering if she can break the world record. A lot depends on what America’s most successful one-lap sprinter plans to do over the coming period.
She has shattered the 400m hurdles world record on six occasions, most recently at the most recent Olympics where she established a fresh time of 50.37 sec.
This represented McLaughlin-Levrone’s 19th consecutive triumph in a single-lap competition – encompassing both hurdles and flat – dating back to June 2023.
"I was aware it was going to be a battle on the final straight and it was merely truly about focusing on my lane and attempting to stay as composed as possible," McLaughlin-Levrone added.
Elsewhere, the athlete from Botswana, young runner, secured first place in the male 400m, blazing to a time of 43.53 seconds. Botswana’s compatriot Bayapo Ndori earned bronze, marking a memorable evening for the Botswanan country.
He, who had blazed a top-ranked 43.61 seconds in the preliminaries on earlier, delivered a expertly judged race as rivals went hard, and powered off the final turn to push through the wet conditions for a commanding triumph. The sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago earned silver in a national record of 43.72 sec, with Ndori finishing in third in 44.20 sec.
