Can Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone break 40-year-old 400m world record at World Athletics Championships? All about American chances in the new event

Everyone is expecting Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to leave a significant impact in the women's 400m event at the World Championships being held in Tokyo. For the first time since the 2019 World Championships held at Doha, the athlete is participating in the 400m dash instead of her speciality, the women's 400m hurdles event, where she is the current world record holder.

However, can Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recreate history at the National Stadium in Tokyo? Can she break the four-decade old world record in women's 400m at the World Athletics Championships 2025?

For starters, the American runner is already on the right track, having made it to the semifinals with an impressive timing of 49.41 seconds, only behind Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser from Bahrain, who topped the overall heats with a timing of 49.13 seconds. The reigning Olympic champion, Marileidy Paulino from Dominican Republic, stood third overall with a timing of 49.85 seconds.

However, if she needs to break the world record, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has to give the performance of a lifetime. The current world record for women's 400m is held by Marita Koch, who won the IAAF World Cup with a world record timing of 47.6 seconds in 1985 at Canberra, Australia, a record which remains unbroken even today.

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Can Sydney McLaughlin break the world record by Marita Koch?

Will Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone break the world record established by Marita Koch? [Image Source : Getty]

The question however persists : Can Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone achieve what no one has in the last four decades? Though the journey is far from a cakewalk, the 26-year-old runner is known to give even the best a run for their money.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's personal best in this discipline has been 48.74 seconds, which ranks her 12th overall amongst the fastest women in the world. However, two of her main opponents, Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser, have far better timings than her.

Salwa Eid Naser has a personal best timing of 48.14 seconds, which she recorded at the World Championships in Doha in 2019. This also makes her the third fastest woman in this discipline. On the other hand, Marileidy Paulino is the top favorite for the gold medal, since she broke the Olympic record for women's 400m at the Paris Olympics last year with a timing of 48.17 seconds.

Interestingly, McLaughlin-Levrone's head to head record has been a mixed bag in terms of competing against Salwa Eid Naser and Marileidy Paulino. The Olympic champion hurdler had faced Paulino only once at the Paris Diamond League in 2023, where the Dominican runner won the race in 49.12 seconds. With Salwa Eid Naser, the record stands at 1-1.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's seasonal best performance this year has been 48.90 seconds, which she had recorded at the USATF Nationals this year. The 26-year-old runner has to give it her all if she really aims to break the 48-second barrier as well as the long standing world record established by Marita Koch. The finals for the women's 400m shall be held on September 18.