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Rai Benjamin has explained the quality about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone that makes her indomitable after shattering the 400m hurdles record for the sixth time in the Paris 2024 Olympic final.
Reigning Olympic men’s 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin recently shed light on what makes Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, his counterpart in the women’s 400m hurdles, seemingly unbeatable.
After her dominant performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she set a new world record and successfully defended her Olympic title, McLaughlin-Levrone has firmly established herself as arguably the greatest women’s hurdler of all time.
At just 25 years old, McLaughlin-Levrone continues to redefine the limits of what’s possible in the 400-meter hurdles.
Her latest world record marks the sixth time she has shattered the previous best, a feat that underscores her dominance in the sport. Just five years ago, the world record stood at 52 seconds—a benchmark that now seems distant as athletes like McLaughlin-Levrone, Dalilah Muhammad, and Femke Bol have pushed the event into uncharted territory.
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McLaughlin-Levrone’s influence is evident in the performances of other athletes as well. Silver medalist Anna Cockrell, who became the fourth-fastest woman ever in the event, clocked an astonishing 51.87 seconds, a time that would have been unimaginable just a season ago.
Despite the intense competition, including eventual bronze medalist Bol, who was in top form leading up to the games, McLaughlin-Levrone’s supremacy remained unchallenged.
Speaking as a guest on the Night Cap show, Benjamin offered insight into what makes McLaughlin-Levrone so special and why it will take something extraordinary to surpass her record.
“I think because the week prior, Femke had gone to this meet and ran 50.9 by herself. That is ridiculously fast, and she did a phenomenal job navigating 10 hurdles by herself, but what people neglected about that was the altitude she did that in,” Benjamin explained.
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“A lot of people do not realize that in that altitude, you have less resistance in the air, and that is why that hype came in.”
Benjamin compared McLaughlin-Levrone’s indomitability to the popular TV character John Wick (portrayed by Canadian actor Keeanu Reeves) , who was known for his inability to get beaten by any opponent in a fight.
“You want to build that hype around the event because Femke was running well all year, and it seemed as though she was the one to give Sydney a run for her money, but she is like John Wick.
“Coach Holloway from Florida called me John Wick, but Sydney is the real John Wick. She is going to kill you all the time. It is gonna take an act of God for her to lose a race.”
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Benjamin emphasized the innate talent that sets McLaughlin-Levrone apart from her competitors.
“She just runs with such confidence. I feel at a certain point, you can only teach so much, but after that, it is just pure God-given talent, and that you cannot teach, instill in somebody. You are just born with that.”
Looking ahead, Benjamin speculated that McLaughlin-Levrone may have one final goal left to achieve in the sport, to clock the event in less than 50 seconds.
“I think she does it next year. She has nothing left to accomplish in the sport. That is so out of reach, but I think she will run it one more time trying to go sub 50. But she has broken the world record twice this year and has nothing more left to prove in the event.”
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