"I couldn't move, I had lactic everywhere"- When Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone opened up about her historic 400m hurdles world record

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone stunned the world after she broke the world record in the 400m hurdles at the 2022 World Championships held in Eugene. The reigning Olympic champion clocked an impressive 50.68s, breaking the world record that she had created previously during the USATF Championships.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone had been putting forward incredible performances over the quarter-mile ever since she turned pro. After winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, she became one of the most prominent 400m hurdles athletes. Right after breaking the world record in Eugene during the World Championships, she was seen sitting on the ground with her hands around her knee.

Mclaughlin opened up about the aftermath of the incredible race.

" I couldn't move. I had lactic everywhere. In my brain, it was everywhere," she said.

World Athletics took to Instagram to share a glimpse of her world record race from the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene. They reiterated the American athlete's race, fueling anticipation for her upcoming appearance at the NYC Grand Prix later this week.

"It’s Syd’s world, we’re all just living in it 👑Catch the world-record champ at the @newyorkgrandprix this Sunday," read the caption.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone in the 2024 Olympic season

2024 USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone skipped the entire indoor season of 2024 as she was recovering from a knee injury which led her to withdraw from the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest. After undergoing a complete recovery, she made her individual debut of the season at the Oxy Invitation held in Los Angeles.

She ran the 100m hurdles and clocked a 12.71s. Mclaughlin-Levrone participated in the LA Grand Prix next where she ran the 200m and clocked a world-leading time of 22.07s. Gaining momentum for her upcoming events, she fueled great anticipation among fans who were awaiting her to race in her signature event, the 400m hurdles.

The reigning Olympic gold medalist debuted her 400m hurdles season at the Edwin Moses Legends Meet. Asserting dominance over the pack, she dominated the event clocking 52.70s, a world lead in the Olympic year. In a post-race interview, she opened up on the possibility of breaking the 50-second barrier in the 400m hurdles in her upcoming races.

"I have no idea you know it's really, it's a progression, I know that the numbers are possible but it's a matter of getting there and I think people don't understand as an athlete you're not gonna come out of the gates ready to do that all the time. You know it's a human body that's not actually meant to push this hard, but we are pushing it through its limits. So I just wanna continue to stay healthy," she said.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone is now set to perform at the NYC Grand Prix later this week.