Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the U.S., the protecting Olympic champion and international file holder within the 400m hurdles, beaten her personal international file of fifty.65 in Thursday’s last, blasting to a gold medal in 50.37 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone’s best contender, the Netherland’s Femke Bol, who had gained her final 40 races, couldn’t fit McLaughlin-Levrone’s tempo, taking bronze in 52.15, at the back of American Anna Cockrell, who gained silver in a non-public easiest of 51.87.
McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol had now not raced head-to-head since 2022, and this was once best the 3rd time they’ve competed in opposition to every different.
McLaughlin-Levrone returned to the hurdles this yr after a knee harm pressured her to sit down out the 2023 season. She didn’t let this grasp her again; on the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, she set a brand new international file of fifty.65, smashing her earlier file from 2022. Her time was once so speedy that it even obliterated the Olympic usual for the 400m match with out hurdles.
Bronze-medallist Bol claimed the arena name in Budapest final yr. Remaining week in Switzerland, she ran below 51 seconds for the primary time, environment a Ecu file of fifty.95. She adopted that up with a 51.30, her second-fastest time ever, on the London Diamond League.
On Saturday, the Netherlands took the Olympic crown within the 4×400 combined relay. Bol, who headed into the general 200m of the race in fourth place, handed 3 different athletes, edging out Group USA’s Kaylyn Brown by way of one-hundredth of a moment.
Savannah Sutherland of Borden, Sask., took 7th position in 53.88. She had snagged certainly one of two non-automatic qualifying spots in her semi-final with a time of 53.80 seconds to get a place in Thursday night’s last.
“It’s overwhelming–the ambience in the market was once insane, and it actually driven some ladies to a few actually speedy occasions. It was once not like anything else I’ve ever skilled,” Sutherland instructed media post-race.
Sutherland, who’s in her last yr on the College of Michigan, emphasised how thankful she was once to have her title in dialog with the most efficient 400m hurdles athletes in historical past. “It’s a place I by no means actually imagined that I’d be in, and I’m in order that thankful for that,” she stated. “Even in stiff festival, the limits and boundaries are all the time being examined by way of those wonderful athletes, so it’s a actually thrilling time to be a 400m hurdler. It’s a ancient second for all folks, and I feel that we stay pushing every different to be sooner and sooner.”
Sutherland will run within the heats of the 4x400m relay on Friday morning.