Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone capped off her time at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in style, helping the United States win gold in the 4×400-meter relay on Sunday in Tokyo.
Despite the rainy conditions, Team USA finished with a time of 3:16.62, crossing the finish line ahead of Jamaica (3:19.25) and breaking the championship record.
Isabella Whittaker, Lynna Irby-Jackson and Aaliyah Butler all combined to build a massive lead on the Jamaican team, allowing McLaughlin-Levrone to cruise to the line without much drama.
The Americans set the pace during the qualifying heats, outrunning Jamaica by 0.24 seconds.
This is McLaughlin-Levrone’s first 400-meter flat and relay double. The hurdles were her previous specialty.
The 26-year-old was victorious in the individual race on Thursday, nearly breaking the world record in the process. She won with a time of 47.78 seconds, nearly eclipsing Marita Koch’s mark (47.60 seconds) from 1985.
“I knew there were a lot of people doubting me with making the switch from 400 meters hurdles to the flat 400m,” she told reporters after the race. “But ultimately, I had faith in my training. I knew I had it in me. It was just a matter of time. I knew this feeling was going to be amazing.”
That set the bar even higher for the United States in the women’s relay. Anything short of a gold medal would’ve been a disappointment.
This widens the Americans’ lead atop the overall medal table. The U.S. has earned 23 total medals, including 14 golds. Kenya is a distant second with seven gold medals and 11 overall.
The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are still a few years away, and a lot can change between now and then. McLaughlin-Levrone certainly made an emphatic statement in Tokyo, though, when it comes to the women’s 400 meters.
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