US ATHLETE SYDNEY McLaughlin-Levrone produced a world record-breaking performance to become the first woman in history to win back-to-back Olympic 400m hurdles crowns.
The 25-year-old blew away reigning world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands to take gold in 50.37sec at the Stade de France.
Anna Cockrell of the United States took silver in 51.87sec while Bol finished third to claim bronze in 52.15sec.
The winning time bettered McLaughlin-Levrone’s own world record of 50.65sec set at the US Olympic trials in Eugene in June.
The victory extended McLaughlin-Levrone’s remarkable five-year unbeaten streak in the discipline and cemented her status as the greatest women’s 400m hurdler of all time.
Bol had been desperate to claim a first victory over McLaughlin-Levrone after taking a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and a silver behind the American at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.
But McLaughlin-Levrone – who missed last year’s Budapest World Championships won by Bol due to injury – was not going to be denied.
Drawn in lane five with Bol outside her, McLaughlin-Levrone quickly began making inroads on the Dutchwoman who blazed out of the blocks.
Just after the 200m mark the American star made her move, accelerating past Bol to head into the final straight with a clear lead.
With Bol tiring and Cockrell steaming past her, McLaughlin-Levrone was in a race against the clock and she duly dug deep over the final metres to smash her own world record.
Bol meanwhile looked distraught as she crossed the finish line and could be seen slapping herself in apparent frustration.
McLaughlin-Levrone basked in the adulation from the crowd after another jaw-dropping performance, and she was soon wrapped in a US flag and wearing a glittering tiara as she saluted her fans.
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