Skip to main content

'All the Glory to God': Sydney McLaughlin Shatters 400 Hurdles Setting New World Record

Share This article

U.S. track star Sydney McLaughlin broke her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles Friday while competing at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The 22-year-old clocked a time of 50.68 seconds, beating her previous record time of 51.41 which was set last month. This marks the fourth time in 13 months that McLaughlin has broken the 400-meter hurdles world record.

Following Friday's race, McLaughlin spoke with NBC Sports about her success and made sure to give all the credit to God.

"I"ll have to start off by saying all the glory to God," she said. "These past few days getting ready for this race, has been on my mind - coming boldly to His throne to receive mercy and grace. And I think He really gave me the strength to do it today, so all the glory goes to God.

"Coming into this race I just wanted to go out there and attack the whole thing. Bobby (Kersee, her coach) and I have been training for this all year and we wanted to go execute," McLaughlin added. "The last 100 hurt really bad, but I'm really grateful for it and I'm grateful for that time and bringing a medal home to Team USA."

Last summer in Tokyo, she set the world record at 51.46 and won the Olympic gold medal. Before that, she became the first woman to go under 52 seconds when she ran 51.90 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Now, she's the first woman to complete the race in under 51 seconds.

Surprisingly, McLaughlin thought she could have finished the race faster.

"Honestly, we thought we'd be able to go a little bit faster," she told NBC. "But we're super grateful with that time; anything under 51 was a win for us. We just know that there's more to push and there's more to be able to be taken off of that. So I'm honestly super grateful for today." 

She also suggested that switching events may be in her future.

"Anything's possible," she told NBC.

Whatever route McLaughlin decides to take, her faith will be at the forefront.

As CBN News has previously reported, McLaughlin is a strong believer in Jesus Christ who says it gives her peace to know that God is always with her.

After winning gold last summer in the women's 400-meter hurdles, she commented that it's all about, "just trusting the process and giving the glory to God."

McLaughlin's bio on her Instagram page has just one line – "Jesus is Lord" with an emoji of a dove. 

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Share This article

About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.