Women’s 400mH: McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol might just give us the race for the ages

Women’s 400mH: McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol might just give us the race for the ages

The women’s 400m Hurdles event at the Olympics isn’t one to whet the appetite of the average fan of Track and Field, far from it. Historically, the men’s 100m final is usually the most sold-out event of the Games with fans even putting tickets on the black market.

No doubt, the blue riband event remains the 100m heading into the Paris Olympics as all 77,083 seats have been sold out ahead of the men’s final on August 4^th. However, if there is one event that could potentially rival the star power of the event that will crown the fastest man on earth, then it has to be the women’s 400mH.

For the last eight years, we have seen an evolution of the event in terms of quality and the times churned out by athletes over the years. Leading that charge was Dalilah Muhammad, who won the title in Rio 2016 and went on to break the world record eventually. Her winning time then was 53.13s. It seemed a big deal at that time and even the American would have laughed off suggestions that an athlete would need to run a sub-51s if they were to stand a chance of winning the title in Paris eight years down the line.

But here we are. Two runners have spoiled us with some incredible times in the last four years that we now are expecting a world record performance any time they grace the track. All thanks to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol.

This year, McLaughlin-Levrone has once again shown us why she’s a fan favorite. Hailing from New Jersey, she’s been a standout talent since her earliest days on the track. Her dominance over her competitors is remarkable, often making it seem like she’s in a league of her own. She has excelled in the 200m (22.07) and 400m (48.75) races, in addition to breaking her world record in the 400m hurdles with an astonishing time of 50.65 seconds. Even she finds it hard to believe how she keeps running faster.

To think that she ran a 12.71s over the 100m Hurdles this year is rather astonishing. Her range is something that stands out and she will most certainly be on the front foot heading into the Paris Olympics. McLaughlin-Levrone will go into the French capital with the knowledge that she is the reigning Olympic Champion and the world record holder.

Bol on her part has been doing the chasing all year. It was different last year with McLaughlin-Levrone injured. All the attention was on her performances as she broke the world indoor 400m record and went on to win the world title in Budapest. 12 months down the line she isn’t even the favorite to win Gold at the Olympics.

Bol has a lot to decide on. The Dutch runner shattered her own European record in the 400m hurdles with a stunning time of 50.95 seconds at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds meeting in Switzerland earlier this month. This performance marked her first sub-51 race and stands as the third-fastest time in history, trailing only behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 50.68 world record from 2022 and her latest world record of 50.65 set at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone have not faced each other in the 400m hurdles since the 2022 World Championship final in Eugene. Their only previous encounter was at the Tokyo Olympics, where McLaughlin-Levrone clinched the gold and Bol secured the bronze. The rivalry between these two exceptional athletes continues to captivate fans, with each race adding to the anticipation of their next meeting.

The first round of the women’s 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics was set for Sunday, August 4th.

In heat 1, Russell Clayton, JAM won in 54.32. In heat 2, Jasmine Jones, US, won in 54.36. In heat 3, Femke Bol, NED,  took first in 53.38. Anna Cockrell, US, won heat 4 in 53.91. In heat five, the final heat, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, US, took the fifth heat in 53.60.

The semi-finals were fascinating.

Semi-final 1 saw Russell Clayton, JAM, ran 53.00, with Jasmine Jones, US, 53.83, both moving to the final.

Semi-final 2 saw Sydney McLauglin-Levrone, US won in 52.13, with Louise Maraval, FRA, 53.83, both moving on to the final!

Semi-final 3 , Femke Bol, NED, won in 52.57, with Anna Cockrell, US, was second in 52.90. Also moving to the final, Shian Salmon, JAM, in third, 53.13 PB, and Savanah Sutherland, CAN, 53.80

As the final competition approaches, all eyes will be on Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone to see if they can push each other to new heights and possibly rewrite the record books once again.

The final for the Women’s 400 meter hurdles will be held at 9:25 PM Paris time, 3:25 PM NY Time, 2:25 PM Chicago time and 12;25 PM San Francisco time on Thursday, August 8, 2024.