Eugene, Oreo. – Olympic champion Sidney McLaughlin surpassed her own world record in the 400 meters hurdles at the US Outdoor Athletics Championships on Saturday.
McLaughlin smiled broadly when the time was announced, then raised a thumb. She crossed the finish line in 51.41 seconds, breaking her own record of 51.46 set last year at the Tokyo Games, where she won the gold medal.
She said she had no idea what to expect as she overcame the last hurdle.
“I was just about to finish the race. You know anything is possible,” she said. “I’m just really grateful for that.”
The top three finishers in each event of the national championships will represent the United States at the World Outdoor Championships, also at Eugene’s Hayward Field, next month. This is the first time that the biggest event in athletics outside the Olympics will be held on American soil.
Alison Felix, the most decorated woman in track history, finished sixth in the 400 meters in her last national championship race.
Felix, who announced in April that this would be her last season, is enjoying the last days of her glamorous career – which includes 11 Olympic medals. She plans to hold her last official race in her native Los Angeles in August. Despite his final, Felix is expected to be part of the mixed relay at the World Cup.
NCAA Florida champion Talita Diggs won 400 in 50.22 seconds. Delilah Muhammad dropped out of the race due to a minor injury, but she has already qualified for the World Cup as a defender of the championship in the competition.
“It was a great field. So I just wanted to stay in shape, engage my core and just push, “Diggs said.
Asked if she was disappointed with the finale, Felix laughed.
“Honestly, no. You know that 400 is difficult for me. It’s not my natural passion – it’s always been something I challenged,” she said.
Michael Norman ran 400 in the men’s race with the best in the world 43.56. He finished first in the Olympic trials last year and finished fifth in Tokyo.
World record holder Kenny Harrison won the women’s 100 hurdles in 12:34.
Temperatures in Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon rose to the low 90’s. Sunday’s events, the last day of the meeting, were postponed earlier in the day due to the heat.
Sprinter Sha’Kari Richardson made it to the 200 finals on Sunday, finishing second in her series.
Richardson, known for her ever-changing hair color and long nails, did not qualify for the final 100, although she was among the favorites after winning the Olympics last year. Richardson did not join the US team for Tokyo after she tested positive for marijuana after the race.
Richardson’s heat was marked by several late scratches, but it ended in 22.69 seconds. Kentucky’s Abby Steiner, who set a collegiate record in the 200 meters at the NCAA Athletics Championships, had the best time in the cuffs at 10:14 p.m.
American record holder Kara Winger won the javelin with a throw of 210 feet and 10 inches, her ninth national title in her career at the event. Sinclair Johnson, the 2019 NCAA champion, won the 1500 meters in 4: 03.29.
In the men’s race, Cooper Tier finished first in 3: 45.86. Teare also enters the 5,000 on Sunday. Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsson won the pole vault. Hillary Bohr won the steeplechase with such a big difference that she pointed to the stands in celebration down the section.
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