On Friday night, after Sydney McLaughlin crossed the finish line in the women’s 400m hurdles at the World Championships, not a soul left the stadium.
Every fan remained at Hayward Field to cheer, applaud, celebrate and bask in what they witnessed, a sight never seen before.
The first sub-51 women’s 400m hurdles performance in event history.
Only one woman had previously gone sub-52. Now we’ve seen the first to go sub-51.
And that single woman is track prodigy, Sydney McLaughlin.
What McLaughlin did on Friday night in Oregon was not only thrilling but mindblowing.
Starting in lane 5, she made up the stagger by the second hurdle on the curve and by the fourth hurdle, the race was essentially over.
When she made the final turn and hit the last 100m, her lead was so great that it was akin to her running alone.
The crowd was in awe, screaming as she moved close and closer to the finish line.
And when she finally crossed it, the stadium and broadcast team exploded.
“Please watch the clock. the world record is 51.41,” screamed NBC broadcaster Leigh Diffey. “Sydney McLaughlin, the 22-year-old American. There is no stopping her! 50.6! It’s a world record! Sydney McLaughlin has just smashed her own record!”
It gave us chills and had us jumping up and down at the same time.
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