The American Sydney McLaughlin clinched her qualification for the Tokyo Olympics by securing the world record in the 400m hurdles on Sunday in Eugene (Oregon), at the conclusion of the American Olympic selections which confirmed the rediscovered ambitions of “Team USA “.
Less than a month before the kickoff of the Tokyo fortnight (July 23-August 8), American athletics struck the spirits during its “trials” with no less than two world records and a collection of historical performance.
At the opening of these selections, with a throw of 23.37 m, Ryan Crouser had erased from the shelves the old world record dating from 1990 for the weight of Randy Barnes (23.12 m). They closed with another world record, that of the women’s 400m hurdles.
McLaughlin became at just 21 the first woman to pass below the legendary 52 seconds mark with a time of 51 sec 90 / 100th, 26 / 100th better than the previous world record of her compatriot Dalilah Muhammad, who finished 2nd Sunday.
“It is a day that I will never forget (…) I knew as soon as I woke up that it would be a superb day”, assured McLaughlin who had participated at 17 years in the Rio Olympics, where she had been eliminated in the semi-finals.
After stealing her world record, McLaughlin seems destined to succeed Dalilah Muhammad, 2016 Olympic champion and 2019 world champion, who has had a start to the season disrupted by Covid-19 and injuries.
– The Knighton sensation –
The facelift of American athletics is also embodied by Athing Mu who, at 19, won the 800m with the best world performance of the year (1: 56.07) ahead of 2019 vice-world champion Raevyn Rogers (1: 57.66), and Ajeé Wilson (1: 58.39), bronze medalist of these same Worlds-2019.
It will also be necessary to follow the American sprinters in Tokyo, even if these “trials” put an end to the sulphurous career of Justin Gatlin, who finished at the age of 39 in the 100m final last weekend.
While in Jamaica, a long-time flagship nation of sprinting in the wake of Usain Bolt, no sprinter has passed below the thresholds of 10 sec, over 100 m, and 20 sec over 200 m, during the Olympic selections organized this weekend, the top three in the 200m at Eugene clocked impressive times and will be among the favorites in Tokyo.
Noah Lyles, 23, won in 19 sec 74 / 100th (wind: +0.3 m / s), ahead of Kenny Bednarek (19 sec 78 / 100th) and Erriyon Knighton, only 17, (19 sec 84 / 100th), new under-20 world record, owned until this week by Bolt.
“I stopped stressing, I let my body speak,” insisted Lyles who had very badly experienced his failure in qualifying over 100 m (7th).
A sign of the incredible richness and density of the American sprint, for the first time since 1928, none of the sprinters selected for Tokyo will double 100 and 200 m.
JuVaughn Harrison, he can aim for an incredible and improbable double in jump: a few hours after his victory in height (2.33 m), the 22-year-old prodigy also won his visa for Tokyo by winning at length (8 , 47 m).
Only the American Ellery Clark has already won the two Olympic titles in the long jump and the high jump in … 1896.
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