USA’s Sydney McLaughlin Breaks Own World Record for Gold and for God in Tokyo

USA’s Sydney McLaughlin Breaks Own World Record for Gold and for God.

Photo - Gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin of Team United States celebrates after competing in the Women's 400m Hurdles Final on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 04, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

Olympic hurdler Sydney McLaughlin stunned this week when she edged out teammate Dalilah Muhammad and even beat her own world record to score a gold for the USA in the 400-meter hurdlers. Her impressive teammate, Muhammad, took home the silver.

Speaking after the race, 21-year-old McLaughlin said she gives all the “glory to God” and expressed gratitude for the honour of representing her country. She also enjoyed watching video footage of her former Catholic high school celebrating her victory.

“Just trusting the process, giving the glory to God,” McLaughlin told NBC when she was asked about her incredible victory, besides noting of the “hard work and dedication” that went into this season.

“I’m just really grateful to represent my country and to have had this opportunity,” she said.

“It’s amazing,” McLaughlin reacted to a clip of her former Catholic high school watching her win. “Oh my gosh, I can see my high school coach, my principal. It’s just an awesome opportunity to be able to represent them all back home.”

McLaughlin during the Olympic trials broke Muhammad’s record in the 400-meter hurdles. Then, this week, she broke her own record by nearly half a second with a 51.46-second finish to take gold. McLaughlin edged out Muhammad, the defending champion, by 0.12 seconds.

She thanked God following her record-breaking performance. “The face of a woman who is in awe of God”, she posted to Instagram, next to her winning photo.

“I could feel this event was going to be something special… but MAN”, she continued, “weeks like these are some of the hardest in a track athlete’s life. The mental strain of preparing for the rounds in order to solidify your spot is heavy enough. But the amount of weight the Lord took off my shoulders, is the reason I could run so freely yesterday. My faith was being tested all week. From bad practices, to 3 false start delays, to a meet delay. I just kept hearing God say, ‘Just focus on me.’ It was the best race plan I could have ever assembled. I no longer run for self-recognition, but to reflect His perfect will that is already set in stone. I don’t deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you, Father.”

The New York Times spent much time leading up to the Olympic Games following Muhammad’s journey, and on Tuesday briefly outlined the highly anticipated race and McLaughlin’s journey to victory: Muhammad, 31, who had come to Tokyo as the reigning Olympic champion, went out hard to take an early lead. But McLaughlin was gaining on her coming off the final turn and outsprinted her in the final meters. Muhammad, the Times noted, was dealing with injuries and illness during the pandemic, yet still managed to finished second at the trials and take home a silver for the U.S. in the hurdles.

McLaughlin was a teenager when she competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she fell short of advancing to the final. It was a learning experience, and she leaned on some of those lessons in Tokyo. The Olympics were not new to her. She seemed utterly unfazed by it all.

• Amanda Prestigiacomo - Aug 5, 2021 oncom