Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Masai Russell book world championship berths at US trials
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (left) stormed to victory in the 400m while Masai Russell delivered a flawless performance in the 100m hurdles.
– Olympic champions Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Masai Russell produced convincing wins at the US Track and Field Championships in Oregon on Aug 2 to punch their tickets to the World Athletics Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion and golden girl of American track, stormed to victory in the 400m flat as she targets a new world title at Tokyo in September.
Russell, the Olympic 100m hurdles champion, was similarly impressive, with a flawless victory in 12.22 seconds at Eugene's Hayward Field.
But, while Paris Olympics gold medallists McLaughlin-Levrone and Russell delivered, there was an upset in the men's 1,500m, where Olympic champion Cole Hocker finished third.
McLaughlin-Levrone signalled she could well be in the hunt for gold in Tokyo after blasting to victory in 48.90sec, taking the tape ahead of Isabella Whittaker (49.59) and Aaliyah Butler (49.91).
'I felt like this is the year I wanted to step out of the box and really push myself in a different way,' McLaughlin-Levrone said of her decision to switch to the 400m flat.
'Obviously it's uncomfortable, but I wanted to commit to it and I'm committed to it,' she said to AFP. 'Just excited to see where I can push myself.'
Russell, who achieved a breakthrough major title with gold at Paris 2024, will be the woman to beat in Tokyo on the evidence of Aug 2.
The 25-year-old executed flawlessly to come home ahead of Grace Stark (12.31) and Alaysha Johnson (12.36).
Russell started this season in prime form, clocking a US record 12.17sec in May before an ankle injury threatened to derail her season.
However, she looked back to her best on Aug 2.
'I could have shut down my season two months ago when I couldn't walk,' Russell said. 'But I was like 'this is the goal'.
'Winning the Olympics put a little bit more pressure on me. Because I feel I have a standard to uphold.
'People expect something from the reigning Olympic champion.'
A thrilling battle in the men's 1,500m saw Olympic champion Hocker upstaged by the Kenyan-born Jonah Koech.
Hocker found himself boxed in with 200m to go and, despite a strong finishing kick, was unable to reel in Koech and second-placed Ethan Strand.
Koech won in 3min 30.17sec, ahead of Strand in 3:30.25. Hocker was third in 3:30.37.
'Winning was not the No. 1 priority today, but I'm not gonna lie – it always stinks a little not to,' Hocker said.
'I think if today was a world final, I'd have run that race a lot differently.
'In the back of my head today, above all, above winning was to move on and get top three.'
Elsewhere, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin eased into the Aug 3 final with a comfortable victory in the heats.
Olympic 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin eased into the Aug 3 final with a comfortable victory in the heats.
PHOTO: AFP
Benjamin never looked in danger on his way to winning his heat in 47.45sec, the fastest time of qualifying.
In the men's 400m, Jacory Patterson advanced to Tokyo with a win in 44.16sec, the latest milestone of his fairy-tale journey to elite sprinting.
The 25-year-old juggled his track career with a job working an overnight shift loading delivery trucks for UPS until recently, working his final shift in June.
'I'm waiting for someone to pinch me,' Patterson said afterwards. 'I don't know, it just feels like a dream.' AFP
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