The conversation about what track sensation Sydney McLaughlin will do next involves more than the clock.
Yes, she brought the record in her 400-meter hurdles race down by nearly three-quarters of a second at the world championships, to a once-unthinkable mark of 50.68 seconds. But it was her run in the women’s 4×400 relay that might really get people wondering.
The Paris Olympics start two years and two days from Sunday’s close of the world championships in Eugene, Oregon. McLaughlin is 22, with plenty of work yet to do in the hurdles, she said. But she also hinted that the 400-flat, or even the 100 hurdles, could be in her future.
How far in her future will be one of the most intriguing storylines between now and Paris. What feels certain is that she can be a top contender in any discipline she chooses.
McLaughlin ran her anchor lap in Sunday’s gold-medal 4×400 in 47.91 seconds — more than a second faster than any other runner in the race.
“Take the hurdles away, it’s a little bit easier,” she said.
By the way, her 50.68 in the hurdles would’ve been good for seventh in the regular 400, where they didn’t have to traverse the 10 barriers.
Reporting by the Associated Press
