Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone rewrites history with lightning 400m run to capture world crown.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone delivered a historic performance in Tokyo on Thursday, running the second-fastest 400 meters in history to claim the world title.

The 25-year-old American, competing in the rain at Japan’s National Stadium, clocked a championship-record 47.78 seconds from Lane 5, defeating former champions Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic and Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser. In doing so, she became the first athlete ever to win world titles in both the 400m flat and the 400m hurdles. Paulino secured silver in a national-record 47.98, her third straight world championship medal, while Naser took bronze in 48.19, her quickest time of the year.

“I knew there were doubts about my move from hurdles to the flat 400, but I trusted my training and believed I could do it,” McLaughlin-Levrone said after the race.

Her time shattered the American record she had set in the semifinals and made her just the fourth woman in history to dip under 48 seconds, joining Paulino, Marita Koch, and Jarmila Kratochvílová. Remarkably, as in Paris last year, every finalist ran under 50 seconds.

Already a double Olympic champion and six-time world-record holder in the 400m hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone has now added another accolade to her résumé. She became the fifth American woman to win world gold at 400m and the first athlete ever to claim world titles in both the flat and hurdles.

Her victory came through an aggressive start, surging past Great Britain’s Amber Anning early and building a decisive lead. Paulino pressed hard off the final bend, but McLaughlin-Levrone closed with a blistering 12.91-second final 100m to secure her triumph.

Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone suggested she might attempt both the 400m flat and hurdles if scheduling makes it possible, noting the challenge of running multiple rounds across consecutive days alongside her usual relay duties.