Sydney McLaughlin shattered the world record in the 400 meter hurdles yesterday by .73 seconds. That sounds like nothing, but prior to McLaughlin, it took 33 years for athletes to knock that much time off of the world record. It didn't take her 33 years; Sydney McLaughlin did it in one race.
If you aren't familiar with track and field you probably have no idea how difficult it is to run 400 meters in 50.68 seconds just normally, let alone with 10 hurdles lined up between you and the finish line. The 400 m. hurdles requires incredible speed, extreme stamina, and amazing coordination. You have to run the same number of steps between each hurdle in order to stay in rhythm and not hit any of the hurdles. Most track experts agree, that the 400 m. hurdles might be one of the toughest, if not the most difficult race, on the track--and it requires an athlete with an incredibly diverse skill set to excel. McLaughlin's achievement, winning the world championship in the event in record time, is perhaps the greatest accomplishment in all of sport this year. She's definitely become my favorite athlete right now.
I've coached hurdles and sprints at the high school and college level and trust me that this is a phenomenal accomplishment. But don't take my word for it. Watch the last half of this extraordinary race using the link below, and you will see one of the greatest athletic performances ever.
The race starts at the 3:58 mark of the video. You will have to endure a couple of commercials before the video starts on YouTube, but it's worth it if you have even a mild appreciation of greatness.
And also the NBC feed isn't available in some countries (I used my VPN to watch it), but there are several clips on YouTube showing the race.
Comments
Post a Comment