Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Breaks 19 Year Old 400M American Record

US’ Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone crosses the finish line as she competes in the women’s 400m semi-final during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 16, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)

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On September 16, 2006, track and field legend Sanya Richards-Ross ran 48.70 to break the American record in the 400-meter dash in Athens, Greece. Today in Tokyo, Japan, at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the record exactly 19 years later by running 48.29. McLaughlin-Levrone’s record puts her at number seven on the all-time list.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s biggest competitors who will most likely join her on the podium are 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser and reigning world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino. Eid Naser is ranked third all-time with a personal best of 48.14. Right behind her on the all-time list is Paulino in fourth at 48.17.

Predicting the podium in Tokyo is difficult for several reasons. Eid Naser and Paulino met on the track seven times this season. Paulino won against Eid Naser four of those times. However, Eid Naser has the most recent victory from the Diamond League Final in Zurich several weeks ago.

Both of these women will be looking to settle and even out the score between each other as we move closer to the women’s 400-meter dash finals. McLaughlin-Levrone, however, proved in today’s semi-final that she is ready to break through any competition Paulino and Eid Naser bring to the track.

The six-time world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles exudes immense talent across multiple disciplines in the sport. Over the course of her career, the Olympic champion attempted several events. Last year at the LA Grand Prix, McLaughlin-Levrone ran 22.07 in the 200-meter dash to beat the fourth-fastest woman of all-time in the event, Gabby Thomas. Her time would have qualified her to represent Team USA in the 200-meter dash at the world championships this year.

During her time with Grand Slam Track, McLaughlin-Levrone participated in the short hurdles event group at the Philadelphia meet. She ran 12.70 in the 100-meter hurdles, not too shy of her 12.65 personal best. The next day in the 100-meter dash, she ran 11.21. Her personal bests in the events would have qualified her for the U.S. championships and are the World Athletics Outdoor Championships entry standards.

Based on her athletic success at a young age and her ability to rise to elite standards for any event that she participates in, it is no surprise that she was ready to break the American record and fight for a medal in Tokyo.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Journey To Breaking The American Record

McLaughlin-Levrone’s journey to breaking the American record in the 400-meter dash has been a multi-year project. In 2023, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her desire to break the record, so she ran several races in an attempt to rewrite history. In fact, she never ran a 400-meter hurdle race that year. At the U.S. Championships in 2023, the two-time Olympic champion was close, running 48.74. Not too long after, McLaughlin-Levrone announced that she would not participate in the world championships that year due to injury.

In 2024, she went back to focusing on the 400-meter hurdles but still ran several 400-meter races in hopes of lowering the record. At the NYC Grand Prix, McLaughlin-Levrone ran 48.75, still missing the record by five-hundredths of a second.

After successfully completing her third Olympic year with another gold medal and two world records, McLaughlin-Levrone decided to compete in the 400-meter dash at the U.S. Championships this year. Her commitment to this plan was monumental and meant that the only way she would compete at the Tokyo World Athletics Outdoor Championships was if she placed in the top three in that event.

2023 was a different situation for McLaughlin-Levrone. Since she had the world championship bye in the 400-meter hurdles in 2022, if she decided that she didn’t want to run the 400-meter dash in Budapest after successfully qualifying, she would’ve been able to run 400-meter hurdles based on World Athletics rules. All in all, it did not matter which event McLaughlin-Levrone decided to focus on or compete in that year; her spot on Team USA was already secured.

Since she did not compete at all in Budapest and ultimately did not defend her title, she did not have a bye in any event for this year’s championships. She had no choice but to compete and perform well if she wanted to qualify for Tokyo.

At the 2025 U.S Championships, the six-time world record holder ran 48.90 to win the U.S. title and punch her ticket to Tokyo, giving her three more chances to attempt the record this year.

To no one’s surprise, McLaughlin-Levrone got the job done today in the world championship semi-finals and can now add 400-meter dash American record holder to her impressive resume.

After running 48.29, she spoke with NBC’s Lewis Johnson. Johnson asked McLaughlin-Levrone if she expected to run that fast and if it was surprise that she ran the record in the semi-finals. She expressed that she was a little bit surprised by the exceptional feat.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” said McLaughlin-Levrone. “It clearly shows my fitness is there, just gives a boost of confidence for the final. Just grateful to have broken a record by an amazing woman who held it for so long.”

McLaughlin-Levrone, Eid Naser, and Paulino are all serious contenders for the world championship title. They will occupy lanes five, seven, and nine, respectively. These three champions will have their talents tested as they fight for victory.

The rest of the women’s 400-meter dash final will include Jamaican record holder and ninth fastest of all time Nickisha Pryce, world indoor champion and British record holder Amber Anning, Olympic champion and Polish national record holder Natalia Bukoweicka, Pan American U20 champion Roxana Gomez, and Olympic finalist and Norwegian national record holder Henriette Jaeger.

Fans looking to watch the action live can tune in to Peacock and USA on Thursday, September 18, at 9:24 a.m. EST.