Following her dominant semifinal round in the 400 meter hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone told Lewis Johnson that she was going to let it fly come the final. Did she ever.
In the final race of these Trials, 50.65 seconds after the starter’s pistol fired, Sydney would come away from the race having bettered her world record set at Hayward Field two years prior at the Eugene World Championships. McLaughlin-Levrone is seemingly unchallenged even on the biggest stages, as she has set a new world record mark at each of the last five major championships she has competed.
Anna Cockrell was in the lane to Sydney’s right, and Cockrell’s speed through the first 200 meters proved to be just what she needed before overcoming the stagger and never letting off the gas through the finish line. Cockrell earned the silver medal in a personal best time of 52.64 and Jasmine Jones, fresh off her NCAA Championship from the University of Southern California, rounded out the podium for third in 52.77, also a personal best. The trio is Paris bound for the Olympics.
Prior to the world record race, the men took to the 400 meter hurdles, and Rai Benjamin put on a show of his own. Much like Sydney, Rai coasted through the preliminary rounds making otherwise impressive efforts look almost pedestrian. When it came time for the final, however, he would hold nothing back. The Tokyo silver medalist posted an incredible 46.46 second effort, setting a world lead and a Olympic Trials meet record. He told Lewis Johnson after the race, “I was trying to run a little fast today. I won’t lie, that’s why I didn’t look too happy after I got done. I was trying to go after that world record, but going to Paris…is the main goal. In hindsight, it’s good to not burn the match at this meet, but burn it in Paris.”
CJ Allen has arguably been the USA’s hottest 400 meter hurdler, aside from Benjamin, for the past two seasons. He got out quick and maintained a fast start, pushing Rai through the first few hurdles, and hung on to second place through the remainder of the race, finishing in 47.81.
The final stretch off the tenth hurdle became a toss up for the 2-3-4 finish. Though Allen hung on to the silver medal position, Chris Robinson, the NCAA record holder from Alabama, was on his heels and gaining. As they came to the line, it was 2022 World Championships bronze medalist Trevor Bassitt whose experience proved to be the difference maker. He pushed past Robinson for third place, finishing 0.01 seconds behind Allen, rounding out the podium and punching his ticket to Paris.
Following two Trials records at the 5000m and 800m distances, the women took to the 100 meter hurdles. In a starting line that included three prior Olympians, the result became something of a changing of the guard, as veterans of the event would cede to the next generation of great USA hurdlers.
Masai Russell came out of the blocks and had to make up ground to on her competitors almost right away. At the eighth hurdle, she overtook the field and continued to push through the finish line. Russell ran 12.25 seconds for the 100mH, breaking Gail Devers’s meet record from the 2000 Olympic Trials. Directly to her right, Alaysha Johnson finished second running a personal best time of 12.302 seconds, and University of Florida NCAA Champion Grace Stark in lane eight finished third in 12.309, also a personal best.
