Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone nearly broke the longest-standing world record in sprinting in winning her first world title in the flat 400m after legendary success in the hurdles.
McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 47.78 seconds in Tokyo, the second-fastest time in history behind German Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60 from 1985.
McLaughlin-Levrone, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world record breaker in the 400m hurdles, is now the first person to win world titles in both one-lap events.
She did so in her first time racing the flat 400m at a global championship. McLaughlin-Levrone also planned to race the flat 400m instead of the 400m hurdles at the 2023 Worlds, but withdrew before the meet due to injury.
McLaughlin-Levrone chose the flat 400m this season because she wanted a new challenge after going undefeated in the 400m hurdles since taking silver at the 2019 Worlds.
It’s something she has considered for years.
“That (flat 400m) world record has stood for so long, and no one’s come even close to it,” she said in 2022. “So we definitely want to be able to try that and see what we can do there as well.”
Before Thursday, no woman ran the 400m within a half-second of Koch’s world record time since she registered it. Koch was among many East German athletes whose record-breaking performances in the 1970s and ’80s generated suspicion. Koch never tested positive and denied ever using PEDs, according to a group of Olympic historians known as the OlyMADMen.
McLaughlin-Levrone has not announced her event plans going forward toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but in the past has not ruled out attempting to run both the flat 400m and 400m hurdles at a future global championship.
Also Thursday, Collen Kebinatshipi took the men’s 400m in 43.53 seconds, becoming the first man from Botswana to win a world track and field title.
Noah Lyles led the qualifiers into Friday’s men’s 200m final, running 19.51 seconds, his best time in two years.
Lyles, trying to match Usain Bolt’s record four consecutive world 200m titles, is joined in the final by Olympic 200m gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and silver medalist Kenny Bednarek.
Defending champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and newly crowned 100m world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden led the qualifiers into Friday’s women’s 200m final.
Jackson, the second-fastest woman in history, bids to tie Allyson Felix’s record of three women’s 200m titles. Jefferson-Wooden can become the second woman to sweep the 100m and 200m at one worlds in the last 30 years after Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.
That event lacks the 2024 Olympic gold and silver medalists Gabby Thomas and Julien Alfred, who are both out injured.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago won his second senior global title in the javelin – 13 years after taking gold at the London Olympics.
Curtis Thompson earned bronze, becoming the third U.S. man to make a world podium in the event after Tom Petranoff (silver, 1983) and Breaux Greer (bronze, 2007).
The World Championships continue Friday with finals including the men’s 400m hurdles (8:15 a.m. ET), women’s 400m hurdles (8:27), men’s 200m (9:06) and women’s 200m (9:22). Coverage begins at 5:20 a.m. ET on Peacock (world feed) and 7 a.m. on USA Network.