Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone just ran 50.37 to win her second Olympic gold in the 400m hurdles and broke the world record for the sixth time in her career. That’s it, that’s the recap.

Okay, fine, I’ll elaborate.

This duel between McLaughlin-Levrone and her chief rival, Femke Bol, is one we’ve been impatiently waiting two years to see. It ended up not being much of a battle, but the American delivered in every sense of the word on the day after her 25th birthday. Bol wound up fading back to bronze position after a strong close from McLaughlin-Levrone’s countrywoman, Anna Cockrell, who set a new lifetime best of 51.87 for silver.

Here’s what you need to know:

- The proxy war between the two favorites was hot over the past month-and-a-half. McLaughlin-Levrone got things under way by shaving .03 seconds off her own world record at the U.S. Trials, running 50.65. Two weeks later, Bol responded with her first sub-51 clocking of 50.95 at altitude in Switzerland before backing it up with 51.30 at the London Diamond League. They had combined to run three of the four fastest times in history in less than three weeks in the leadup to their showdown on the Olympic stage. After Bol split 48.00 on anchor to secure gold in the mixed 4x400m for her Dutch team Saturday night, the anticipation had reached a boiling point.

- Both women moved smoothly throughout the rounds, posting the fastest times by far in the semis. All signs were pointing towards an all-time great final.

- They both got out hard, but McLaughlin-Levrone held a slight edge from the gun that only grew as the race went on. Bol was able to stick around through five hurdles, sitting only .14 seconds behind at that point of the race. After the fifth hurdle, the gap between the two got wider at each hurdle according to official splits. McLaughlin-Levrone ended up crossing the line in 50.37, taking .28 seconds off her world record from June.

- Cockrell began closing the gap on Bol as McLaughlin-Levrone continued to expand her lead, eventually passing the reigning World champion just before the final hurdle. Cockrell set a pair of PBs at the Trials, but this was a whole new stratosphere for her. 51.87 shaved nearly a second off her previous PB of 52.64. The silver for Cockrell was redemptive after a disqualification in the final in Tokyo and a fifth-place finish last year.

- Bol held on for her second consecutive Olympic bronze in this event in 52.15, but was nearly caught by hard-closing NCAA champion Jasmine Jones, who finished fourth in 52.29.

By the numbers:

- This is the sixth time that McLaughlin-Levrone has broken the world record, breaking her own world record the last five times. Her time today would have been the fastest non-qualifier in the flat 400m at these games. She is the first woman to ever successfully defend the Olympic title in this event. Fitting accomplishment for the G.O.A.T.

- Cockrell became the fourth woman in history to break 52 seconds, joining McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol and Dalilah Muhammad. Her landing on the podium makes it three straight games with two Americans in the medals. Cockrell is the first woman other than McLaughlin-Levrone or Muhammad to beat Bol in this event since September 2019.

- In running 52.29, Jones, who still has NCAA eligibility for USC, broke McLaughlin-Levrone’s all-dates collegiate record by almost half a second. That mark previously sat at 52.75. Jones is now the fifth-fastest woman in history in this event. She became the fastest fourth-place finisher ever in a 400mH race.

Full results:

1. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone - 50.37 WR

2. Anna Cockrell - 51.87

3. Femke Bol - 52.15

4. Jasmine Jones - 52.29

5. Rushell Clayton - 52.68

6. Shiann Salmon - 53.29

7. Savannah Sutherland - 53.88

8. Louise Maraval - 54.53

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