Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone achieves legendary Usain Bolt's feat after stunning performance at Worlds in new event

American track and field athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone delivered a historic performance at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. She won gold in the 400m, breaking a 42-year-old championship record with the second-fastest 400m of all time at 47.78 seconds, and anchored the U.S. women’s 4x400m relay team to gold with a meet record of 3:16.61.

This achievement placed her alongside Legendary Usain Bolt, who holds the most Championships and world records in World Athletics Championships history. Bolt’s records in the men’s 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay have remained unbroken for more than a decade.

Bolt set both his 100m and 200m world records at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, clocking 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds. He also anchored the Jamaican 4x100m relay team to a world and Olympic record at the 2012 London Olympics alongside Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter, and Michael Frater.

Notably, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone holds records in the 400m, 400m hurdles, and 4x400m relay. At Tokyo 2025, she opted to skip her signature 400m hurdles and focus on the 400m flat, breaking a 42-year-old championship record with her 47.78-second run. She also holds the world record in the 400m hurdles, set at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 50.37 seconds, and previously set the World Championships record of 50.68 seconds at the 2022 Eugene Championships.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on possibility of 400m-400m hurdles double in future

Day 9 - World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Source: Getty

At the Worlds, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone transitioned from her signature 400m hurdles to the 400m flat. She won her heat in 49.41 seconds and ran 48.29 in the semifinals, breaking the 19-year-old American record set by Sanya Richards-Ross. In the final, she delivered the first sub-48-second 400m performance in 40 years.

On the possibility of competing in both the 400m hurdles and 400m flat in the future, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said:

“Yeah, there’s a lot of talk about doubles. I think is it possible is one thing. Do I want to do it is another. That’s something I’d really have to think about. Anything’s possible, but I need to ask myself what my goals are and what puts me in the best position to be the best I can be.

Those are two really hard events with really great fields. You cannot discredit any of those women. It’s a big undertaking, so I just take it one race at a time,” McLaughlin-Levrone added. ( via Citius Mag 1.14 onwards)

In the 400m final, Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino finished 0.20 seconds behind in 47.98 seconds for silver, while Salwa Eid Naser claimed bronze in 48.19 seconds.