Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone nearly broke the longest-standing world record in sprinting in winning her first world title in the flat 400m after legendary success in the hurdles.
McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 47.78 seconds in Tokyo, the second-fastest time in history behind German Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60 from 1985.
“I think barriers are broken when the time is right,” McLaughlin-Levrone said when asked if the world record is a goal. “I think records come when they’re supposed to. It’s really just about executing and trusting the process.”
Silver medalist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic ran 47.98, the third-fastest time in history, one year after winning Olympic gold in the event.
TRACK AND FIELD WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule
McLaughlin-Levrone, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world record breaker in the 400m hurdles, is now the first person to win world titles in both one-lap events.
She did so in her first time racing the flat 400m at a global championship. She also planned to race the flat 400m instead of the 400m hurdles at the 2023 Worlds, but withdrew before the meet due to injury.
McLaughlin-Levrone chose the flat 400m this season because she wanted a new challenge after going undefeated in the 400m hurdles since taking silver at the 2019 Worlds.
She went into these worlds seeded third by best time of 2025 (48.90) behind Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser (48.67) and Paulino (48.81).
“My coach (Bobby Kersee) loves boxing terms,” she said. “He said, ‘You’ve got to go take the belt. It’s not yours. You’ve got to go earn it.’ That’s what we wanted to do today. There was a lot of doubt from a lot of people, I think, for me coming into this event.”
McLaughlin-Levrone’s historic 400m in perspective
Paul Swangard and Ato Bodon reflect on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s historic performance in the 400m final at worlds after she reset the American record again and became the first person to go sub-48 seconds since 1985.
Before Thursday, no woman ran the 400m within a half-second of Koch’s world record time since she registered it. Koch was among many East German athletes whose record-breaking performances in the 1970s and ‘80s generated suspicion. Koch never tested positive and denied ever using PEDs, according to a group of Olympic historians known as the OlyMADMen.
“That (flat 400m) world record has stood for so long, and no one’s come even close to it,” McLaughlin-Levrone said in 2022 in one of her first comments expressing significant interest in the flat 400m. “So we definitely want to be able to try that and see what we can do there as well.”
McLaughlin-Levrone came into worlds with a 400m personal best of 48.74. In Tuesday’s semifinals, she ran 48.29 to break a 19-year-old American record (Sanya Richards-Ross’ 48.70). She went another half-second faster on Thursday.
McLaughlin-Levrone has not announced her event plans going forward toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but in the past has not ruled out attempting to run both the flat 400m and 400m hurdles at a future global championship.
“We’re going to have to talk about the schedule on that one,” she told Lewis Johnson, smiling, when asked about possibly doing it at LA 2028. “I’m going to need some days off in there if that was the case because it’s tough fields in both events. You have to respect them. So, in order to put the best performances together, you have to make sure your body’s ready to do that.”
World Championships Women’s 400m Results
Gold: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) — 47.78
Silver: Marileidy Paulino (DOM) — 47.98
Bronze: Salwa Eid Naser (BRN) — 48.19
4. Natalia Bukowiecka (POL) — 49.27
5. Amber Anning (GBR) — 49.36
6. Roxana Gomez (CUB) — 49.48
7. Henriette Jaeger (NOR) — 49.74
8. Nickisha Pryce (JAM) — 49.97
Also Thursday, Collen Kebinatshipi took the men’s 400m in 43.53 seconds, becoming the first man from Botswana to win a world track and field title.
Noah Lyles led the qualifiers into Friday’s men’s 200m final, running 19.51 seconds, his best time in two years.
Lyles, trying to match Usain Bolt’s record four consecutive world 200m titles, is joined in the final by Olympic 200m gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and silver medalist Kenny Bednarek.
Defending champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and newly crowned 100m world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden led the qualifiers into Friday’s women’s 200m final.
Jackson, the second-fastest woman in history, bids to tie Allyson Felix’s record of three women’s 200m titles. Jefferson-Wooden can become the second woman to sweep the 100m and 200m at one worlds in the last 30 years after Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.
That event lacks the 2024 Olympic gold and silver medalists Gabby Thomas and Julien Alfred, who are both out injured.
Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago won his second senior global title in the javelin — 13 years after taking gold at the London Olympics.
Curtis Thompson earned bronze, becoming the third U.S. man to make a world podium in the event after Tom Petranoff (silver, 1983) and Breaux Greer (bronze, 2007).
The World Championships continue Friday with finals including the men’s 400m hurdles (8:15 a.m. ET), women’s 400m hurdles (8:27), men’s 200m (9:06) and women’s 200m (9:22). Coverage begins at 5:20 a.m. ET on Peacock (world feed) and 7 a.m. on USA Network.
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