Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone sets American Record in 400m in World Championship semifinals

by: Tyler Thompson21 hours agoMrsTylerKSR

sydney-mclaughlin-levrone-sets-american-record-400m-world-championship-semifinals — Sep 14, 2025; Tokyo, Japan; Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) runs in a qualifying heat of the women’s 400 meters during the World Athletic Championships at National Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has accomplished everything in the 400m hurdles, winning two Olympic gold medals and breaking the world record six times; is she about to do the same in the 400m flat?

This morning, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the American Record in the 400m semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The former Kentucky track star finished in 48.29 seconds, which shattered the previous record of 48.70 set by Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006. Wildly enough, Richards-Ross’ record was set 19 years ago, to the day. McLaughlin-Levrone’s time of 48.29 leads the world and is the seventh-best all-time, well ahead of her time of 48.90 at the US Track & Field Championships last month. The world record is 47.60 seconds, set in 1985 by Marita Koch.

In true Sydney form, she hardly looked like she broke a sweat.

“Honored, for sure,” she told reporters afterward. “I definitely wasn’t expecting that time, but it just shows the fitness is there. Excited for the finals and grateful to have taken down a record by an amazing woman.”

The finals of the 400m are on Thursday morning. Sydney’s top competition is Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain) and Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic), whose personal bests are under Sydney’s time today, but neither has run the 400m that fast this season. Paulino won the gold medal in the 400m at the Paris Olympics with a time of 48.17 seconds. Will Sydney take home gold at Worlds? She said she had some gas left in the tank today despite the blazing fast time.

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“I think the last 30 meters were a bit more reserved, just trying to maintain, but it was a fast time. Definitely gotta go home and get some treatment.”

In 2024, McLaughlin-Levrone was one of the most dominant athletes at the Paris Olympics, winning gold in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay. Afterward, she was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. Sydney spent one season at Kentucky, winning the 2018 NCAA title in the 400m hurdles after setting the still-standing collegiate record of 52.75 seconds. In January 2025, she was named the 2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year, just the third woman to ever win the award.

Breaking the 19-year-old American Record in the semifinals of an event she’s only been running competitively for a few years is further proof that Sydney could be the most dominant University of Kentucky athlete of all time. Go Syd, Go!