Sydney’s new high, history for Botswana
It was a day of great performances at Tokyo, starting from Syndey McLaughlin-Levrone and to Botswana’s double podium
Mumbai: World Championships or Olympics, hurdles or flat, trust Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to own the one lap races like few have in history.
Sure enough, the Sydney show was a blockbuster even at the Tokyo worlds. Not in the 400m hurdles where is a six-time world record holder and two-time Olympic champion, but in the 400m flat in which she grabbed her first gold at a major global competition.
And in some style. The American star ran the second fastest time ever, and the first sub-48s time in more than four decades, as she won the women’s 400m final clocking 47.78s. It shattered the previous Worlds record, and lowered the 48-second bar for the first time since the 1983 Worlds in which Jarmila Kratochvilova of erstwhile Czechoslovakia ran 47.99s.
Giving McLaughlin-Levrone company in also lowering the bar and running a fast race was the reigning 400m Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of Dominican Republic, whose 47.98 is the third fastest time in history but only fetched silver on the day. Two women, for the first time ever, went below 48 seconds in the same 400m race. Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser took bronze at 48.19.
This was a final that had the makings of an epic once McLaughlin-Levrone broke the American record in the semi-final. The final lived up to its billing. So did McLaughlin-Levrone and her call of giving hurdles a pause.
The 26-year-old has dominated the one lap hurdles, setting six world records from 2021 to 2024, two of them at the Olympics of Tokyo and Paris. The last time she lost a 400m hurdles race was in 2019.
Unchallenged since in the event, McLaughlin-Levrone sought to move out of her comfort zone. She has in the past sporadically dabbled in both the events, but chose to invest fully in the flat for this season. Winning a gold, and not defending one for a change, was the big goal in Tokyo.
“This wasn’t my title to hold on to, it was mine to gain,” she said.
She is now the first athlete ever to flaunt a world title across the 400m hurdles and flat. Could she also potentially hold both world records? Watch out, Marita Koch’s long-standing 1985 mark of 47.60s. Also watch out LA 2028.
“Maybe I could do both 400m and 400m hurdles,” McLaughlin-Levrone said of the next Olympics.
History for Botswana
The men’s 400m final had some more history in store. Collen Kebinatshipi ensured Botswana got their first ever world champion in a men’s race as the 21-year-old clocked 43.53, his season best and a national record, to take the gold. Botswana had another one of their own on the podium, with Bayapo Ndori, 24, also clocking a season best 44.20 for bronze. Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards took silver at 43.72.
Hernandez denies Rojas
Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez added the outdoor world title to her indoor triumph earlier this year as she took the women’s triple jump gold. It denied Venezuelan great Yulimar Rojas a fifth straight world crown. Hernandez, 23, had a best jump of 14.94 metres. Dominican Olympic champion Thea LaFond took silver with 14.89m while Rojas got the bronze at 14.76m.
Lyles lays down 200m marker
Noah Lyles laid down the marker for the 200m final on Friday, clocking 19.51s for the fastest time across the semifinals as well as his own quickest in the event since 2023. Lyles, who had to be content with bronze in the 100m, said he wanted to send out a message. “The message today was that they can’t beat me,” he said. Australia’s 17-year-old sensation Gout Gout missed out on the final.
Pooja clocks PB in 800m
India’s Pooja came up with her personal best time of 2:01.03 in the women’s 800m heats. She finished 7th in Heat 6, and could not advance. She had earlier clocked 4:13.75 in the 1500m heats and finished 11th.
