(Reuters) – The queen of the hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin, has staked her claim in the 400 metres flat, picking up the U.S. title in her new event on Saturday as she follows a path set by top coach Bobby Kersee to perfection.
She collected gold in Tokyo two years ago and sent the crowd in Eugene, Oregon, to their feet in 2022 when she took a chunk out of her own world record to win the 400m hurdles World Championship.
And just when it looked as though she had no more accolades to collect, Kersee sent his star pupil out to conquer new territory.
The plan could scarcely have gone better, as she won the 400m national championship in a world-leading 48.74 seconds on Saturday to qualify for the event at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
“Bobby’s a championship coach. He works back from our major championships to know when we need to be ready and he’s always proven to have us ready when it matters most,” she told reporters.
The 23-year-old would be entitled to compete in both the 400m and 400m hurdles at worlds, with reigning title holders earning an automatic spot, but said she has “no idea” if she will attempt a double when the competition kicks off on Aug. 19.
“All I know is that today is Saturday and tomorrow’s Sunday,” she said, adding that there is still work to be done to fine-tune her strategy.
“I want to continue to get better (and) put the race together properly,” said McLaughlin. “Once I get the front half and back half together, that’s when it happens, and I think today was (example) of that.”
The U.S. championships wrap up on Sunday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul)
