USA Track and Field Championships 2023: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone posts 49.79 in opening 400m race
The double Olympic champion cruised to the day's fastest time in the event in Eugene
Athletics
Double Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruised to a 400m heat win on the opening day (6 July) of the 2023 U.S. Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
On Thursday, the 23-year-old put up a 49.79 time to easily win the day's third heat. After all four heats, McLaughin's time was the fastest overall ahead of Britton Wilson's 50.08 and Lynna Irby-Jackson's 50.80.
The 400m semi-finals are scheduled for Friday (7 July) with the finals set for Saturday (8 July).
Although McLaughlin-Levrone has a wild card entry to next month’s global showpiece as the defending champion in the women's 400m hurdles, she is yet to race in her pet event in 2023.
McLaughlin-Levrone has instead focused on the flat 400m, further fueling speculation that she has her sights set on a tilt at the longest-standing world record in any men's or women's sprint event: Marita Koch’s 400m mark of 47.60 seconds, which has stood since 1985.
How to watch the USA Track and Field Championships 2023
The whole event will be streamed live on pay services USATF.TV and Peacock TV with the latter available in a number of European countries.
The main action at the USATF Championships will be screened live on CNBC for viewers in the U.S., with two-hour nightly broadcasts from Friday 7 July.