Sydney McLaughlin ran the sixth-fastest 400m hurdles time in history in what she said beforehand was her last race of the season.
On Monday, Mclaughlin, who lowered her world record at June’s USATF Outdoor Championships (51.41) and July’s world championships (50.68), ran 51.68 at Continental Tour meet in Hungary.
McLaughlin extended her win streak to seven meets since her last defeat at the 2019 World Championships. Her new time on Monday would have been a world record up until the Tokyo Olympics, where she lowered it from 51.90 to 51.46.
Next season is another world championship year. McLaughlin has a bye into next August’s world in Budapest in the 400m hurdles and is reigning champion but has said she could add or change events, perhaps to the flat 400m, as the 2024 Paris Olympics approach.
Additionally, Jamaican runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the 100m in 10.67 seconds, giving her the world’s six best times this year.
Fraser-Pryce has broken 10.70 a total of seven times in her career, all in the last two years after returning from 2017 childbirth, including five times in the previous three months. No other woman has broken 10.70 more than four times in a career.
When asked about her performance, McLaughlin said, “I think there’s still more to go. I think we’re all figuring out that, yes, there are ten barriers, but we can run them a lot faster than people think. There’s no such thing as a perfect race.”
The track and field season continues with a Diamond League meet in Monaco on Wednesday, featuring a 200m showdown among Noah Lyles, Michael Norman, Knighton, and, if he’s OK to run, Bednarek. Peacock airs live coverage at 2 p.m. ET.
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