Sydney Mcglaughlin (© Jay Bendlin / WCH Oregon22)
Will there be another world record in the women’s 400m hurdles?
That’s the question on most people’s minds as the women’s 400m hurdle final concludes Day 8 of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. The race is scheduled for 7:50 p.m.
There have been a combined five world records in the women’s 400m hurdles since 2019 with Dalilah Muhammad of the United State owning the first two of those, and Sydney McLaughlin of the U.S. owning the past three, including a 51.41-second clocking to win the U.S. Outdoor Championships last month.
Two of the three times McLaughlin has come away with the world record, she set it at the reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, the site of the first World Athletics Championships on U.S. soil.
This record run for the 400m hurdles began at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 2019 when Muhammad ran 52.20 seconds in Des Moines, Iowa, to break the world record of 52.34 that had stood since 2003.
Later that year at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Muhammad won in 52.16 seconds to break her own world record with McLaughlin close behind in 52.23 seconds.
At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field last summer, McLaughlin took over the world record and became the first woman to run under 52 seconds when she ran 51.90 seconds. She lowered the world record even further at the Tokyo Olympics when she won in 51.46 seconds, just ahead of the 51.58 by Muhammad.
Femke Bol of the Netherlands became the third-fastest woman in history when she ran 52.03 seconds in Tokyo for the bronze medal.
McLaughlin, running nearly by herself, won the U.S. Outdoor Championships to qualify for WCH Oregon and lowered the world record again, this time to 51.41 seconds. She also has run 51.61 seconds this year, and won her semifinal heat Wednesday in 52.17 seconds, the fastest time in a qualifying race in history.
Bol has also had a strong season. She ran 52.61 seconds at the Oslo Diamond League meet on June 16, and on June 30, ran 52.27 seconds at the Stockholm Diamond League meet. Bol won her semifinal heat on Wednesday in 52.84 seconds, and Muhammad won her semifinal heat in 53.28 seconds, a season best.
If any of those three falters, Americans Shamier Little and Britton Wilson could pick up a medal. Little ran a season-best 53.61 seconds in the semifinals and is fifth-fastest performer in history with a best of 52.39 seconds from last year. Wilson was the NCAA champion for Arkansas, and ran a personal-best 53.03 seconds in McLaughlin’s 51.41-second race at the U.S. Outdoor Championships.
Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton ran a personal-best 53.63 in the semifinals, and Panama’s Gianna Woodruff set a South American area record in the semifinals at 53.69 seconds.
Other events to watch on Friday:
MEN’S 400 METERS (Final, 7:35 p.m.)
Is this finally Michael Norman’s time?
Norman has yet to win an individual medal at the outdoor World Athletics Championships or the Olympics, but is the favorite, having run 43.61 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic and 43.56 seconds at the U.S. Outdoor Championships, just off his personal best of 43.45 seconds.
Grenada’s Kirani James was the 2011 World Athletics Championships gold medalist and the 2015 bronze medalist in Beijing. He also has a full set of Olympics medals with gold in 2012, silver in 2016, and bronze in 2020. He’s the third-fastest in the world this year at 44.02 seconds.
South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk set the world record of 43.08 seconds in winning the 2016 Olympic gold medalist and won the 2015 and 2017 World Athletics Championships. He’s been hampered by injuries since then but has begun to look like his championship self.
Champion Allison became the No. 10 performer all-time when he ran 43.70 seconds behind Norman at the U.S. Championships.
Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith has had a strong season in re-setting the British national record to 44.35 seconds. Jonathan Jones of Barbados, who ran collegiately for Texas, has run 44.43 seconds this season.
WOMEN’S 400 METERS (Final, 7:15 p.m.)
Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas is the favorite, and the 2016 and 2020 Olympic gold medalist. She’s looking for her first World Athletics Championships gold medal after winning silver in 2015 and 2019.
Miller-Uibo is the only one with a personal best under 49 seconds (48.36) and ran a season-best 49.55 seconds in the semifinals.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic ran a 48.47-second leg on the winning 4x400m mixed relay team Friday night and is the world leader at 49.49 seconds. She ran 49.98 seconds in the semifinals, and was the only other runner under 50 seconds in the semifinals. Fiordaliza Cofil anchored that 4x400m mixed relay to victory with a 49.92-second leg and ran a personal-best 50.14 seconds in the semifinals.
This event could be a big medal haul for Jamaica with Stephenie Ann McPherson, and Candice McLeod. McLeod ran a season-best 50.05 seconds in the semifinals.
Sada Williams of Barbados ran a season-best 50.12 seconds in the semifinals, and Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands set a national record of 50.18 seconds.
No Americans made the final.
MEN’S 4x100-METER RELAY (Heats, 6:05 p.m.)
When Noah Lyles anchored the win in Doha, it was the first World Athletics Championships gold medal for the United States since the 2007 Osaka World Athletics Championships.
The U.S. swept the medals in the 100m at WCH Oregon22, and even without 100m champion Fred Kerley, who suffered a quad injury in the 200m semifinals, the U.S. should still win this if the team gets the baton around the track. The absence of Kerley would almost assuredly point to Lyles being on the U.S. team in the final. Marvin Bracy-Williams won the silver medal in 100m, and Trayvon Bromell took the bronze.
Italy won this event in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but that was with a healthy Marcell Jacobs, who pulled out of the 100m semifinals at WCH Oregon22.
Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and Jamaica would appear to be other top medal contenders.
WOMEN’s 4x100-METER RELAY (Qualifying, 5:40 p.m.)
After sweeping the medals in the 100m, Jamaica is a big favorite here with Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and former University of Oregon standout Kemba Nelson.
The U.S. set the world record of 40.82 seconds at the 2012 London Olympics that included Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter. That record should be in serious jeopardy in the final.
The U.S. is the silver-medal favorite. Other top medal contenders include Great Britain, Switzerland, and Germany.
MEN’S POLE VAULT (Qualifying, 5:05 p.m.)
This is expected to be the Mondo Duplantis show, and why not? The Swedish superstar has done everything except win an outdoor World Athletics Championships gold medal. Sam Kendricks of the U.S., who is out with an injury, was the outdoor gold medalist in 2017 and 2019.
Duplantis raised the world record to 6.20m when he won the indoor World Athletics Championships gold medal in Belgrade, Serbia. On June 30, he improved the outdoor world record to 6.16m. He’s also the reigning Olympic champion.
Chris Nilsen of the U.S. won the silver medal in Tokyo. Thiago Braz of Brazil was the bronze medalist in Tokyo, and won the 2016 Olympic gold medal on home soil at Rio de Janeiro. France’s Renaud Lavillenie was the Olympic gold medalist in 2012 in London, and the silver medalists in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Mennno Vloon of Netherlands has a season best of 5.91m, and a lifetime best of 5.96m. Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines has cleared 5.92m this year, just off his personal best of 5.93m. Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre has cleared 5.90m this year,
WOMEN’S 800 METERS (Semifinals, 6:35 p.m.)
Athing Mu of the United States looks to add the World Athletics Championships gold medal to the gold medal she won last year as a 19-year-old at the Tokyo Olympics.
Raevyn Rogers of the U.S. was the bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the silver medalist at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. She’s one of five iconic University of Oregon figures whose likeness is on the 10-story Hayward Tower at the track.
Ajee Wilson of the U.S. was the bronze medalist at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships, and was the gold medalist in March at the indoor World Athletics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Uganda Halimah Nakaayi was the gold medalist in Doha. Great Britian’s Keely Hodgkinson was the silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Kenya’s Mary Moora is ranked third in the world behind Mu and Wilson at 1 minute, 57.45 seconds, just ahead of Hodgkinson and Rogers on this year’s world list.
WOMEN’S JAVELIN (Final, 6:20 p.m.)
Maggie Malone of the U.S. is the world leader at 65.73m, but did not make the final.
A number of women could win this.
Kara Winger of the U.S. is fifth in the world rankings at 64.26m, which she threw in winning the U.S. title. Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber is the defending champion from Doha and was Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist. Barber has the best personal best of the finalists at 67.70m.
Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi is ranked fourth in the world this year at 64.32m and has a lifetime best of 66.00m. China’s Shiying Liu was the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and had thrown 63.86m this year and has a lifetime best of 67.29m.
Lithuania’s Liveta Jasiunaite set a season-best of 63.80m in the qualifying round, just off her lifetime best of 63.98m.
WOMEN’S 35km RACEWALK (Final, 6:15 a.m.)
This event is being held for the first time at a World Athletics Championships, replacing the 50km walk. The racewalk will start and end outside of Autzen Stadium.
Peru’s Kimberly Garcia Leon won the 20km racewalk on the opening day of WCH Oregon22 and is going for the double here.
By Ashley Conklin
