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Former American Olympian Justin Gatlin lauded his compatriot Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone for her outstanding performance in the women's 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics. She ran the fourth-fastest relay split in the history of track and field during the race.
The US hurdling icon reclaimed both her 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay golds from the Tokyo Olympics. At the Paris Olympics, she demonstrated another commanding performance in her marquee 400m hurdles event, where she not only won the gold but also broke the world record with a time of 50.37 seconds. She took 0.28 seconds off her own world record.
Following that, the 25-year-old participated in the 4x400m relay finals on August 11, where she was given the responsibility to run the second leg. Shamier Little opened for the US women, passing the baton to McLaughlin-Levrone, who ran her split in 47.71 seconds to give her team a commanding lead.
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Her dominance during the race was so pronounced that when she handed over the baton to Gabby Thomas for the third leg, the Americans were almost 30 meters ahead of the rest of the pack. McLaughlin-Levrone's split marked the fourth fastest in the women's 4x400m relay history.
Appreciating Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's performance during the Paris Olympics, Justin Gatlin shared insights on her race during the Ready Set Go podcast with Rodney Green on Friday.
"Sydney jumping the mix, boy. You saw what she did, boy. She made television mad. The camera guy was upset. The camera guy didn't even know who to look at. Am I going to be watching who's in the front, who's already like 40 meters ahead, or we going to be watching the rest of the pack?" Gatlin said [33:28 onwards on Apple Podcasts]
"You know what's crazy? I love to see Sydney get it out of deficit. You know what I mean? I love to see her get it out of deficit because if she's been 47.70 from the front, imagine her chasing... " Green added.
"It hasn't really fully hit me yet" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her Paris Olympics journey
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's world record-breaking 400m hurdles victory at the Paris Olympics marked the sixth time she broke surpassed her own best time in the distance. Furthermore, the New Jersey native also became the first woman in history to defend her 400m hurdles title.
Discussing her Paris Olympics campaign, she expressed gratitude for the experience and added that it still has not sunk in yet.
"It hasn't really fully hit me yet" she said. "Blessed, honestly. And excited. It's a surreal moment. But now an amazing, amazing opportunity. And I'm grateful. " (via Olympics.com)
She added that she approached the race like any other event to ease the pressure off her shoulders.
"I treat every meet like its own. So, this was my first time in Paris racing for this Olympic gold. I was just treating it like this was my first time here, and, trying to go for it the same way."
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said she ran the 400m hurdles final exactly as she had practiced many times before.
