Sydney McLaughlin obliterated her own world record to claim a thrilling last-gasp victory over rival Dalilah Muhammad in the Olympic women’s 400m hurdles final on Wednesday.
In another classic duel between the two dominant American hurdlers, McLaughlin surged past Muhammad just metres from the line to win in 51.46sec, slicing a whopping 0.44sec off her previous mark of 51.90sec set at the US trials in June.
Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic and world champion, took silver with a time of 51.58sec, well inside the old world record, with Femke Bol of the Netherlands earning bronze in 52.03sec.
“What a great race,” said McLaughlin. “I’m just grateful to be out here celebrating that extraordinary race and representing my country.”