Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone smashes her world record in 400m hurdles, wins Olympic gold : NPR

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SAINT-DENIS, France — After crossing the finish line, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone — the defending gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles — dashed across the purple track, wrapped herself in the American flag and donned a tiara, showing the world that she still reigns.

McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the event on her way to gold on Thursday, finishing a very comfortable 1.5 seconds ahead of the competition.

She cleared the 10 hurdles in 50.37 seconds, shaving an incredible 0.28 seconds off her world record time that she only set in June at the national Olympic track trials. Along the way, she demolished the Olympic record 51.46 (hers again).

Fellow American Anna Cockrell earned silver with a personal best of 51.87 seconds, trimming her best time by nearly a second. Dutch hurdler Femke Bol, who was McLaughlin-Levrone’s top challenger going into the race, finished with bronze — for the second Summer Games in a row.

The 25-year-old started her Olympic journey in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago and in Tokyo earned a gold medal in 400-meter hurdles — when she also set the previous Olympic record — and another in the 4×400-meter relay.

The race on Thursday night was her sixth time setting a world record in the event. Before McLaughlin-Levrone came on the scene, it took hurdlers years to take fractions of a second off records.

Back in June at the trials, she said it was her goal to dip under 50 seconds at some point.

Of her performance at the Paris Olympics, she said, “Overall it was a pretty good race. There are a few things that I feel I could have cleaned up. But when you’re in the moment you’re not really thinking about all of that.”

“When I crossed that line I was grateful,” she said after the race, but added: “I was hoping it was a little faster.”