Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney Michelle McLaughlin-Levrone (/məˈɡlɒklɪn ləvˈroʊni/ mə-GLOK-lin ləv-ROH-nee; née McLaughlin; born August 7, 1999) is an American hurdler and sprinter who holds the world record for the 400 meters hurdles and the American record for the flat 400 meters. She won gold in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, as well as at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and 2025 World Athletics Championships. She set a world record time in the 400 m hurdles of 50.37 seconds at the 2024 Summer Olympics on August 8, 2024, breaking the world record she previously set of 50.65 seconds. She set a championship record in the flat 400 of 47.78 at the 2025 World Championships, making her the second fastest woman in history over that distance. She was the first woman to break the 52-second (June 2021) and 51-second (July 2022) barriers in the 400 m hurdles. She won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. At all four competitions, she also took gold as part of the women's 4 × 400 m relay team.

As a 15-year-old, McLaughlin won the 400 m hurdles event at the 2015 World Youth Championships. In 2016, she was the youngest athlete since Denean Howard in 1980 to qualify for the U.S. Olympic track team, having placed third at the U.S. Olympic Trials, with the current world under-18 best of 54.15 seconds, then subsequently setting the world U20 record. She holds the current world U20 record of 53.60 seconds, having achieved a junior personal best of 52.75s (not ratified), with both marks set in 2018. Aside from McLaughlin-Levrone, only three other women have ever broken the 52 second barrier, and only one other has broken 51. She holds six of the ten all-time fastest 400 m hurdles times. She was the 2019 Diamond League champion.