In the final curve of the women’s 400m hurdles, Femke Bol found herself in a promising position—trailing closely behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, just as her coach, Laurent Meuwly, had advised. “The objective for Femke is to stay as near as possible into the straight,” Meuwly had instructed, and Bol was a mere two-tenths of a second behind.
However, this would be the last time she was in the ideal spot for the rest of the night. McLaughlin-Levrone, the premier women’s hurdler in history, surged forward with unmatched strength and speed down the straight, securing her second Olympic gold and affirming her legacy as the finest track athlete of her time.
As McLaughlin-Levrone approached the 10th hurdle, her only competition was her own world record, set at the US trials in June. She surpassed that, finishing in 50.37 seconds, reducing the previous mark by 0.28 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone is now the first track athlete to break five world records in a single event and has just set her sixth.
Over three years, she has single-handedly shaved nearly two seconds off the world record—a 3.5% improvement, which is double the reduction Usain Bolt made in the men’s 100m.Witnessing McLaughlin-Levrone run is seeing the boundaries of athletic potential being redefined.
Expectations were high for this final, with the stadium brimming with Dutch fans in bright orange, creating a lively, festive ambiance. In the 50-year history of the women’s 400m hurdles, only 25 athletes have run it under 53 seconds, three under 52 seconds, and only two—Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone—under 51 seconds. Positioned in lanes five and six, these two had already achieved 14 of the 15 fastest times in history.
McLaughlin-Levrone had triumphed in their only two prior head-to-head races: the Olympic final in 2021 and the world championship final the following year. However, she had since faced injuries and experimented with various events, competing intermittently. Meanwhile, Bol had been excelling in other competitions. But as Meuwly noted before the race, Bol had not yet competed against someone faster than herself. This time, she did, and it showed.
Bol finished third, behind McLaughlin-Levrone’s US teammate Anna Cockrell, who ran a personal best of 51.87 seconds. Bol clocked 52.15 seconds, the 19th-fastest time in history, but still far from the winning time. Distraught, she walked away from the finish line in tears. In another era, Bol might have been the greatest, as she demonstrated with a stunning anchor leg in the Netherlands’ gold medal win in the 4x400m mixed relay.
Yet McLaughlin-Levrone’s extraordinary talent overshadowed Bol’s impressive performance. In this race, Bol’s presence highlighted McLaughlin-Levrone’s unparalleled abilities. It is Bol’s misfortune that McLaughlin-Levrone chose the 400m hurdles. With personal bests in the 100m and 100m hurdles, she could have contended in those events too. Her 200m best time would have earned her a silver behind Gabby Thomas, and her 400m time would have made her the fastest qualifier for Friday night’s final. McLaughlin-Levrone has hinted at moving to the flat race, where she is already the eleventh-fastest in history. Whatever she chooses, it is clear she can excel in any event she sets her mind to.
