Savannah Sutherland, a 21-year-old hurdler from Borden, Saskatchewan, representing the University of Michigan, made history on Saturday during the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon. She broke four major records school, NCAA, NCAA Championship meet, and Canadian by clocking 52.46 seconds in the 400m hurdles final.
Her time not only surpassed her own previous Canadian record of 53.26 set on June 8, 2023, but also eclipsed the NCAA collegiate record of 52.75 held by U.S. Olympic gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Sutherland and McLaughlin-Levrone are now the only two women in NCAA history to run the event in under 53 seconds.
Sutherland dominated the race from start to finish, gradually widening the gap between herself and Texas runner Akala Garrett, who finished second in 54.66 seconds. This marks Sutherland’s third straight top-two finish at the NCAA Championships, having placed fourth as a freshman in 2022.
She also matched Dutch world champion Femke Bol for the world lead this season, trailing only McLaughlin-Levrone’s 52.07.
The Canadian standout has been on a roll this season, having secured her third consecutive Big Ten title on May 18, winning each round with over a two-second margin.
Last summer, Sutherland made her Olympic debut in Paris, becoming the youngest member of Canada’s track and field squad and the nation’s first woman to qualify for a 400m hurdles final since 1996. She finished seventh in that Olympic final on August 8.
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