Sydney McLaughlin set a new women's 400m hurdles world record with a time of 51.90 seconds at the US Olympic athletics trials in Oregon.The 21-year-old McLaughlin was running in the final of the women’s 400m hurdles at the US Olympic trials. Her time of 51.90 bettered the 52.16 set by fellow American Dalilah Muhammad at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. McLaughlin had clocked 52.23 to finish as runner-up in that race, making her the second-fastest woman in history at the time.McLaughlin looked visibly shocked as she set the world record, crouching down on the track with her hand over her mouth. She is now in the ascendancy, with Muhammad, the reigning 400m hurdles Olympic champion, placing second in this weekend’s event.Despite the rivalry, the 31-year-old Muhammad was the first athlete to congratulate McLaughlin after her world record. 

“I will cherish this for the rest of my life,” said McLaughlin. “There’s no animosity or hard feelings. We have to have each other to have these world records.”

McLaughlin will now be heading to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the gold medal favourite in the women’s 400m hurdles. It will be her second Games – she became the youngest American to compete in track and field at an Olympics since 1972 after featuring at Rio 2016.

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Her new time in the women’s 400m hurdles would have been enough to see her qualify for the Olympic trials in the flat 400m, demonstrating just how impressive the world record is.

McLaughlin has the same coach as legend Allyson Felix, who has six Olympic gold medals to her name. The athlete switched coaches in February from former Olympic 100m hurdles champion Joanna Hayes to Bobby Kersee, and the decision seems to be paying off.

Do you think McLaughlin will get gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? Will her rivalry with Muhammad continue at the Games?