OT: Sydney McLaughlin Sets New WR in Women's 400M Hurdles

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

Not sure how many track and field fans post here, but I hope some of you watched Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record in the women's 400M hurdles today at the world track and field championships. McLaughlin didn't just best the current WR--which she holds--she obliterated it. Before she ran the current WR stood at 51.41, which McLaughlin set last month at the nationals. Today she ran the race in 50.68, taking 0.73 seconds off her WR. In the past 13 months, she has broken the WR four times. What an incredible athlete.

In a race where new world records are usually set in increments of hundredths of a second, McLaughlin lowered the WR by almost three quarters of a second! That is just mind blowing. The announcers were comparing it to Bob Beamon's WR long jump at the Mexico Olympics, where he bested the existing WR by more than 21 inches.

I think the word "epic" has become one of the most overused words in the English language, but what Sydney McLaughlin did today was truly epic. If you enjoy track and field, go on YouTube and catch a replay of the race. It will leave you with your jaw dropping.

 

[melstew]

Not sure how many track and field fans post here, but I hope some of you watched Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record in the women's 400M hurdles today at the world track and field championships. McLaughlin didn't just best the current WR--which she holds--she obliterated it. Before she ran the current WR stood at 51.41, which McLaughlin set last month at the nationals. Today she ran the race in 50.68, taking 0.73 seconds off her WR. In the past 13 months, she has broken the WR four times. What an incredible athlete.

In a race where new world records are usually set in increments of hundredths of a second, McLaughlin lowered the WR by almost three quarters of a second! That is just mind blowing. The announcers were comparing it to Bob Beamon's WR long jump at the Mexico Olympics, where he bested the existing WR by more than 21 inches.

I think the word "epic" has become one of the most overused words in the English language, but what Sydney McLaughlin did today was truly epic. If you enjoy track and field, go on YouTube and catch a replay of the race. It will leave you with your jaw dropping.

It was a fun race to watch. The Dutch woman ran very well but looked like whoever finished second in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

It was a fun race to watch. The Dutch woman ran very well but looked like whoever finished second in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

Yes, that's an excellent analogy. They interviewed the Dutch runner (Femke Bol) after the race and she thought she had run a bad race given how far McLaughlin finished ahead of her, but after she saw the time she realized Sydney had just done something other worldly. Bol's time wasn't too far off the time she ran at the last Olympics, where she won the bronze medal. That was simply a performance for the ages by Sydney McLaughlin.

Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. Sham finished second. I am not sure Sham was even in the camera's field of view when Secretariat crossed the finish line.

 

[BGI User 1596]

Even more impressive

 

[sjb75]

Even more impressive

View embedded media

More impressive than Sydney McLaughlin's shattering the 400H WR in 50.68, a time that would have placed seventh in the regular 400?

While certainly an upset beating the USA, not even close.

 

[Extirpate 6951]

Now this was wild

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

More impressive than Sydney McLaughlin's shattering the 400H WR in 50.68, a time that would have placed seventh in the regular 400?

While certainly an upset beating the USA, not even close.

Agreed. The Canadians won a race. Sydney McLaughlin obliterated a world record. Those accomplishments aren't equivalent at all.

 

[sjb75]

Agreed. The Canadians won a race. Sydney McLaughlin obliterated a world record. Those accomplishments aren't equivalent at all.

I just watched the re-Run of Canada’s Gold Medal Win. Impressive. Especially considering the USA finished 1-2-3 in the 100 and 200.

That said, not in the same zip code as Sydney.

 

[burmafrd1943]

Yes, that's an excellent analogy. They interviewed the Dutch runner (Femke Bol) after the race and she thought she had run a bad race given how far McLaughlin finished ahead of her, but after she saw the time she realized Sydney had just done something other worldly. Bol's time wasn't too far off the time she ran at the last Olympics, where she won the bronze medal. That was simply a performance for the ages by Sydney McLaughlin.

Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. Sham finished second. I am not sure Sham was even in the camera's field of view when Secretariat crossed the finish line.

Actually Sham finished last. Secretariat broke him. Well, his jockey pushing him as hard as he did broke him but Secretariat destroyed him.
Sham was nothing after the Belmont; in most other years he would have won the Triple Crown; there have been only a few better horses; unfortunately he was born the same year as arguably the greatest race horse of all time.
Most experts in the Industry consider that race by Secretariat to be the greatest single performance in the history of the sport.

What Sydney did reminded me of what Flo Jo did in 1988.

 

[sjb75]

Yes, that's an excellent analogy. They interviewed the Dutch runner (Femke Bol) after the race and she thought she had run a bad race given how far McLaughlin finished ahead of her, but after she saw the time she realized Sydney had just done something other worldly. Bol's time wasn't too far off the time she ran at the last Olympics, where she won the bronze medal. That was simply a performance for the ages by Sydney McLaughlin.

Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. Sham finished second. I am not sure Sham was even in the camera's field of view when Secretariat crossed the finish line.

There’s so much corruption in horse racing that it’s hard to take the sport too seriously.

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

Actually Sham finished last. Secretariat broke him. Well, his jockey pushing him as hard as he did broke him but Secretariat destroyed him.
Sham was nothing after the Belmont; in most other years he would have won the Triple Crown; there have been only a few better horses; unfortunately he was born the same year as arguably the greatest race horse of all time.
Most experts in the Industry consider that race by Secretariat to be the greatest single performance in the history of the sport.

What Sydney did reminded me of what Flo Jo did in 1988.

You are absolutely right, Burma, I stand corrected. I just went back and watched a YouTube replay of the race. I distinctly recall watching the race live on television, and remembered that Sham and Secretariat broke way ahead of the pack. They were pretty much neck and neck down the back stretch, until Secretariat put the pedal to the metal and broke away. I had sort of assumed that Sham finished second, but he faded badly and finished last. It was an absolutely dominating performance by Secretariat.

I have been to only 1 horse race in my life, but it was the 1973 Kentucky Derby, won by Secretariat. One of my ND roommates was from Louisville, and he was really into horse racing, so he took a group of us home with him to see the Derby that year. He kept telling us all this stuff about a horse named Secretariat, but it didn't mean anything to me at the time. We watched the race from the infield, where the college students and riffraff watched the race. The high society types watched from the grandstand. My two best memories of that day: One, Secretariat was a magnificent looking horse. Two, finding out that mint juleps pack a mean punch. My buddy's mom made a couple of thermoses of mint juleps for us to bring along with us to the track, and we successfully smuggled them in. I drank a few too many of them and got quite the buzz. Some kids went "streaking" in the infield (this was about the time that the streaking craze began), trying to outrun the police who were there trying to keep order. It was pretty wild out there, but I remember my buddies and I running to the rail in the back stretch to watch Secretariat and the rest of the pack go racing by. It was an amazing sight, and the sight and sound of all the horses thundering by is a memory still fixed vividly in my mind to this day.

Interesting sidebar on Secretariat. Some time after Secretariat died in 1989, Sports Illustrated ran a nice story on him. Here it is for those interested:

Pure Heart

In waging the most glorious Triple Crown campaign ever, Secretariat made racing history in 1973. In the doing, he took the author on an unforgettably exhilarating ride

www.si.com

In the story they quote Dr. Thomas Swerczek, the vet who did the necropsy (an autopsy on an animal) on Secretariat after he died. Here is what he said:

“We were all shocked,” Swerczek said. “I’ve seen and done thousands of autopsies on horses, and nothing I’d ever seen compared to it. The heart of the average horse weighs about nine pounds. [Secretariat's heart] was almost twice the average size, and a third larger than any equine heart I’d ever seen. And it wasn’t pathologically enlarged. All the chambers and the valves were normal. It was just larger. I think it told us why he was able to do what he did.”

In other words, because of his extraordinarily large heart, Secretariat was an oxygen making machine, which is why he kicked ass like he did. What a horse he was.

Back to original subject of this thread, Sydney's race is also something I will remember for a long time. You just don't see someone blow away an elite field of runners like she did in a relatively short race like the 400M hurdles.

 

[sjb75]

You are absolutely right, Burma, I stand corrected. I just went back and watched a YouTube replay of the race. I distinctly recall watching the race live on television, and remembered that Sham and Secretariat broke way ahead of the pack. They were pretty much neck and neck down the back stretch, until Secretariat put the pedal to the metal and broke away. I had sort of assumed that Sham finished second, but he faded badly and finished last. It was an absolutely dominating performance by Secretariat.

I have been to only 1 horse race in my life, but it was the 1973 Kentucky Derby, won by Secretariat. One of my ND roommates was from Louisville, and he was really into horse racing, so he took a group of us home with him to see the Derby that year. He kept telling us all this stuff about a horse named Secretariat, but it didn't mean anything to me at the time. We watched the race from the infield, where the college students and riffraff watched the race. The high society types watched from the grandstand. My two best memories of that day: One, Secretariat was a magnificent looking horse. Two, finding out that mint juleps pack a mean punch. My buddy's mom made a couple of thermoses of mint juleps for us to bring along with us to the track, and we successfully smuggled them in. I drank a few too many of them and got quite the buzz. Some kids went "streaking" in the infield (this was about the time that the streaking craze began), trying to outrun the police who were there trying to keep order. It was pretty wild out there, but I remember my buddies and I running to the rail in the back stretch to watch Secretariat and the rest of the pack go racing by. It was an amazing sight, and the sight and sound of all the horses thundering by is a memory still fixed vividly in my mind to this day.

Interesting sidebar on Secretariat. Some time after Secretariat died in 1989, Sports Illustrated ran a nice story on him. Here it is for those interested:

Pure Heart

In waging the most glorious Triple Crown campaign ever, Secretariat made racing history in 1973. In the doing, he took the author on an unforgettably exhilarating ride

www.si.com

In the story they quote Dr. Thomas Swerczek, the vet who did the necropsy (an autopsy on an animal) on Secretariat after he died. Here is what he said:

“We were all shocked,” Swerczek said. “I’ve seen and done thousands of autopsies on horses, and nothing I’d ever seen compared to it. The heart of the average horse weighs about nine pounds. [Secretariat's heart] was almost twice the average size, and a third larger than any equine heart I’d ever seen. And it wasn’t pathologically enlarged. All the chambers and the valves were normal. It was just larger. I think it told us why he was able to do what he did.”

In other words, because of his extraordinarily large heart, Secretariat was an oxygen making machine, which is why he kicked ass like he did. What a horse he was.

Back to original subject of this thread, Sydney's race is also something I will remember for a long time. You just don't see someone blow away an elite field of runners like she did in a relatively short race like the 400M hurdles.

“You just don’t see someone blow away an elite field.....” You must have missed the entire career of Usain Bolt.

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

“You just don’t see someone blow away an elite field.....” You must have missed the entire career of Usain Bolt.

No question but that Bolt is probably the greatest sprinter ever, though Carl Lewis fans might say otherwise. And yes, Bolt typically blew away his competition, especially on the big stages. But come on, McLaughlin finished probably 25-30M ahead of Bol. Show me a race where Bolt finished 10M ahead of the second place finisher. In his greatest race, Bolt lowered the WR from 9.69 to 9.58. That is an improvement of 0.11 seconds. McLaughlin lowered the WR by 0.73 seconds. That is mind blowing. If you watched the 400M race the announcers were comparing what Sydney did to Bob Beamon's record long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, where he bested the existing WR by 21 inches. As great as Bolt was, he never did to his competition what McLaughlin did on Friday to hers.

 

[sjb75]

No question but that Bolt is probably the greatest sprinter ever, though Carl Lewis fans might say otherwise. And yes, Bolt typically blew away his competition, especially on the big stages. But come on, McLaughlin finished probably 25-30M ahead of Bol. Show me a race where Bolt finished 10M ahead of the second place finisher. In his greatest race, Bolt lowered the WR from 9.69 to 9.58. That is an improvement of 0.11 seconds. McLaughlin lowered the WR by 0.73 seconds. That is mind blowing. If you watched the 400M race the announcers were comparing what Sydney did to Bob Beamon's record long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, where he bested the existing WR by 21 inches. As great as Bolt was, he never did to his competition what McLaughlin did on Friday to hers.

Usain ran the 100 and 200, and frankly, typically would smile and wave at the end of many races.

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

Usain ran the 100 and 200, and frankly, typically would smile and wave at the end of many races.

In some ways Bolt was the Muhammad Ali of men's sprints. He always had a bit of the show man in him, and seemed to enjoy the big stage. When the lights were shining the brightest, he didn't try to hide from them. He seemed to look at his competitors and say: "I know I am the best, and I know that you know I am the best." And then he would go out and prove it.

 

[sjb75]

In some ways Bolt was the Muhammad Ali of men's sprints. He always had a bit of the show man in him, and seemed to enjoy the big stage. When the lights were shining the brightest, he didn't try to hide from them. He seemed to look at his competitors and say: "I know I am the best, and I know that you know I am the best." And then he would go out and prove it.

The sport was far better with him racing. Quite a career.

 

[burmafrd1943]

You are absolutely right, Burma, I stand corrected. I just went back and watched a YouTube replay of the race. I distinctly recall watching the race live on television, and remembered that Sham and Secretariat broke way ahead of the pack. They were pretty much neck and neck down the back stretch, until Secretariat put the pedal to the metal and broke away. I had sort of assumed that Sham finished second, but he faded badly and finished last. It was an absolutely dominating performance by Secretariat.

I have been to only 1 horse race in my life, but it was the 1973 Kentucky Derby, won by Secretariat. One of my ND roommates was from Louisville, and he was really into horse racing, so he took a group of us home with him to see the Derby that year. He kept telling us all this stuff about a horse named Secretariat, but it didn't mean anything to me at the time. We watched the race from the infield, where the college students and riffraff watched the race. The high society types watched from the grandstand. My two best memories of that day: One, Secretariat was a magnificent looking horse. Two, finding out that mint juleps pack a mean punch. My buddy's mom made a couple of thermoses of mint juleps for us to bring along with us to the track, and we successfully smuggled them in. I drank a few too many of them and got quite the buzz. Some kids went "streaking" in the infield (this was about the time that the streaking craze began), trying to outrun the police who were there trying to keep order. It was pretty wild out there, but I remember my buddies and I running to the rail in the back stretch to watch Secretariat and the rest of the pack go racing by. It was an amazing sight, and the sight and sound of all the horses thundering by is a memory still fixed vividly in my mind to this day.

Interesting sidebar on Secretariat. Some time after Secretariat died in 1989, Sports Illustrated ran a nice story on him. Here it is for those interested:

Pure Heart

In waging the most glorious Triple Crown campaign ever, Secretariat made racing history in 1973. In the doing, he took the author on an unforgettably exhilarating ride

www.si.com

In the story they quote Dr. Thomas Swerczek, the vet who did the necropsy (an autopsy on an animal) on Secretariat after he died. Here is what he said:

“We were all shocked,” Swerczek said. “I’ve seen and done thousands of autopsies on horses, and nothing I’d ever seen compared to it. The heart of the average horse weighs about nine pounds. [Secretariat's heart] was almost twice the average size, and a third larger than any equine heart I’d ever seen. And it wasn’t pathologically enlarged. All the chambers and the valves were normal. It was just larger. I think it told us why he was able to do what he did.”

In other words, because of his extraordinarily large heart, Secretariat was an oxygen making machine, which is why he kicked ass like he did. What a horse he was.

Back to original subject of this thread, Sydney's race is also something I will remember for a long time. You just don't see someone blow away an elite field of runners like she did in a relatively short race like the 400M hurdles.

One incredible stat about the 1973 Kentucky Derby: Secretariat ran EACH quarter mile of that race FASTER than the one before. He was accelerating the entire race; as far as I know for a race that long it never happened before or since.

 

[jerbach]

This thread has turned into a discussion about horses. Sydney is a gazelle running around the track. A really joy to watch.