World Athletics Championships: McLaughlin-Levrone Breaks 42-Year Record

Tokyo, Sep 18 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the United States stole the spotlight at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday, smashing the longest-standing record in the competition’s history. The women’s triple jump final also produced a major upset, with Cuba’s Hernandez dethroning four-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela.

McLaughlin-Levrone, a two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion, stormed to victory in the women’s 400m final with a time of 47.78 seconds, breaking the previous record of 47.99 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia at the inaugural World Championships in 1983.

“I knew there were a lot of people doubting me when I switched from the 400m hurdles to the flat 400m, but I had faith in my training,” said the 26-year-old. “We’ll need to discuss the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games schedule—maybe I could compete in both the 400m and 400m hurdles.”

Reigning Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic claimed silver with a national record of 47.98, while Bahrain’s former world champion Salwa Eid Naser earned bronze in a season-best 48.19.

In the men’s 400m final, Botswana celebrated a historic triumph as 21-year-old Collen Kebinatshipi captured gold with a world-leading 43.53 seconds, his first individual world title. A silver medalist in the 4x400m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Kebinatshipi outpaced Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, who set a new national record of 43.72 for silver. Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori secured bronze in 44.20, his season’s best.

“This is my first title, and it feels unbelievable,” said Kebinatshipi. “Having three athletes from Botswana in the final shows how much we are growing and improving, both as a nation and as Africa.”

In the women’s triple jump, Cuba’s Hernandez stunned the field with a world-leading leap of 14.94m on her third attempt to win gold. Thea LaFond of Dominica set a national record of 14.89m to claim silver—her country’s first-ever medal in the event—while Rojas had to settle for bronze with 14.76m.