Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone celebrated her 25th birthday with a remarkable achievement as she secured her third Olympic gold medal and set a new world record in the women’s 400m hurdles. McLaughlin-Levrone sprinted to a time of 50.37 seconds, surpassing a highly competitive field to defend her title in this event she has dominated for the past decade. This latest record marks the sixth time she has improved her own world record.
“I’m grateful to God for this opportunity, grateful to be celebrating my 25th birthday like this,” McLaughlin-Levrone expressed. “Just a super opportunity, you can’t even imagine.”
In a strong showing for the United States, Anna Cockrell earned the silver medal with a lifetime best of 51.87 seconds, marking the fourth-fastest time ever recorded in the event. This victory comes as redemption for Cockrell, who was disqualified in the Tokyo Olympic final but achieved a podium finish in Paris.
The bronze medal went to Femke Bol from The Netherlands, who finished with a time of 52.15 seconds, securing her second bronze in this event.
McLaughlin-Levrone has maintained her status as the world record holder for three consecutive years and has now held the Olympic title for just as long, an impressive feat at the age of 25.