We're in East European women territory here. This record is 0.9 seconds quicker than anybody else has ever run. Marta Koch's 400 flat record, that everyone is certain isn't clean, is 0.76 quicker than the next woman on the list who is probably clean (Miller-Uibo). If McLaughlin was from any other country, every thread would be about how she's dirty. I hope everyone remembers this and starts to give athletes from the rest of the world the benefit of the doubt it when they have stellar performances
The only way I can think to put this in perspective, aside from comparisons to the flat 400, is this: if this race had been run in July of 2019, Femke Bol’s run for second place would have broken Pechonkina’s 16 year-old world record by 0.07 seconds.
Waiting to hear from that guy who always picks Femke Bol to win. Femke is great, may well end up as the 2nd best ever in her event, but ... she doesn't have any more chance of beating Syd than Syd does of beating Rai.
Definitely still trying to wrap my head around the post race “celebration”… no one can know what that feels like and it does feel trivial to try to… but what was going on there?
She could easily go 48.2 or better rn in the flat 400 and I wouldn’t be surprised if she could dip under 22 seconds in the 200m. Any event she wants to focus on she will break records just wait
In 1936 Glenn Hardin ran 50.6 over 36" hurdles, on dirt track. Maybe this 50.68 (30") is about where the record ought to be? (Warholmesque, but not Beamonesque?).... Anyway, time
If she can dominate the 400 hurdles until the next Olympics, what kind of endorsement money and appearance money do you think she would be earning over the next few years?