23 July 2022 | 05:48 Sydney McLaughlin © Gallo Images |
In a consummate display of front-foot running, McLaughlin
left a loaded field for dead from the gun, haring through the tape in an
astonishing 50.68 seconds. It sliced more than half a second off her previous
world mark of 51.41sec set last month.
“We took the 400m hurdles and made it something you want to
watch,” said McLaughlin, adding that she was proud to have once again delivered
at a “big-stage race”.
“I knew the pressure was going to be there tonight. The time
is absolutely amazing and the sport is getting faster and faster.
“Just figuring out what barriers can be broken. I only get
faster from here.”
Femke Bol of the Netherlands took silver in 52.27sec while
defending champion Dalilah Muhammad of the United States took bronze in 53.13.
To put McLaughlin’s staggering performance in perspective,
her time after negotiating 10 hurdles over 400m would have seen her beat two
runners in the women’s flat 400m final, raced just minutes beforehand.
That race was won by two-time Olympic champion Shaunae
Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas.
Miller-Uibo, who was deprived of gold in Doha in 2019 by Salwa Eid Nasr of Bahrain — since banned from the Tokyo Games and these championships after three missed doping tests — timed a world lead of 49.11sec at Hayward Field.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic claimed silver
in 49.60sec, with Sada Williams of Barbados taking bronze in a national record
of 48.75.
The men’s one-lap final was claimed by American Michael
Norman, whose victory made up for a disappointing fifth-placed finish at the
Tokyo Olympics.
Norman, who failed to advance from semi-finals in the Doha
worlds in 2019 with a thigh injury, clocked a winning time of 44.29sec.
Three-time Olympic medallist and 2011 world champion Kirani
James of Grenada claimed silver with 44.68sec, while Briton Matthew
Hudson-Smith took bronze (44.66).
World record holder Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa, who
set the record of 43.04sec when winning gold at the Rio Olympics, finished
fifth in 44.97sec.
Australian Kelsey-Lee Barber retained her javelin title, the
current Olympic bronze medallist throwing a best of 66.91 metres.
There was drama in the battle for silver and bronze,
however, as American Kara Winger (64.05m) and Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi (63.27)
snatched the resepective medals with their sixth and final throws.
Easy does it for Duplantis
Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis made first appearance at Hayward
Field, easily qualifying for Sunday’s pole vault final.
The US-born world record holder and Olympic champion,
seeking to improve on his world silver from Doha, was faultless up to his 5.75m
qualifying mark.
“I didn’t want to take too many jumps,” said Duplantis, who
set a world outdoor record of 6.16m in Stockholm last month. “I just wanted to
make it safe to the final.
“First of all, I want to win. That is the most important
thing. If I am able to jump high, then I would jump high. That would be nice
but the gold is the most important for me now.”
Olympic champion and home favourite Athing Mu led US teammates Ajee Wilson and Raevyn Rogers into the final of the women’s 800m.
Also making the final are Kenya’s Mary Moraa, Briton Keely
Hodgkinson, Jamaica’s Natoya Goule, Ethiopian Diribe Welteji and Slovenia’s Anita
Horvat.
The United States safely negotiated the heats of the 4x100m
relays.
Christian Coleman, newly-crowned 200m champion Noah Lyles,
Elijah Hall and Marvin Bracy breezed around in a world leading 37.87sec.
The world champions in Doha, featuring Coleman and Lyles in
that line-up, could only finish sixth in last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
But the US team held a pre-worlds relay camp for the
athletes to better hone their baton-exchanging skills.
The final will also comprise France, Canada, South Africa, Jamaica,
Brazil, Britain and Ghana.
Melissa Jefferson, Aleia Hobbs, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha
Terry got the baton around in 41.56sec for the US women.
Also qualifying for Saturday’s final are Britain, reigning
world champions Jamaica, Germany, Spain, Nigeria, Italy and Switzerland.
Jamaica did not call on five-time world 100m champion
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 200m champion Shericka Jackson and four-time Olympic
individual medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah.
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