TOKYO (Reuters) – American Sydney McLaughlin broke her own 400 metres hurdles world record to win the gold medal in 51.46 seconds at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old stuttered on the penultimate barrier but was a metre clear coming down the home stretch as she powered across the line to beat her previous record of 51.90 set at the U.S. trials in June.
Compatriot Dalilah Muhammad, the 2019 world and 2016 Olympic champion, won silver in a personal best 51.58 and Femke Bol of the Netherlands took bronze in 52.03.
The showdown between McLaughlin and Muhammad, 31, was among the most highly anticipated of the athletics programme at the Tokyo Games.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
