Sydney McLaughlin chased down Dalilah Muhammad to win 400m hurdles and set new world record

The women’s 400-meter hurdles — one of the most anticipated track and field showdowns at the Tokyo Olympics — did not disappoint Wednesday morning at the Games (and Tuesday night in the U.S.).

With two Americans at the top of their sport, it was the Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad show with McLaughlin entering the race as the world record holder while Muhammad was the defending Olympic champion. And somehow, these two make this very challenging event look easy.

The 400-meter hurdles final came down to the two of them, as 21-year-old McLaughlin chased down 31-year-old Muhammad to break her own world record and win her first Olympic gold medal with a thrilling near-photo finish. And McLaughlin didn’t just break her world record; she shattered it with a time of 51.46, and Muhammad won silver at 51.58.

Just an incredible race between two now-Olympic champions:

HER GOLDEN MOMENT!@GoSydGo takes the gold in world record fashion in the women's 400m hurdles final! #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA

: NBC
: https://t.co/xHOJq5UwlD
: NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/xFGFzaW6Gu

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2021

Iron sharpens iron.

Muhammad makes McLaughlin better. McLaughlin makes Muhammad better.

Gold and silver in the women's 400m hurdles final. #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/a9EXpdvSnI

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2021

The American pair now have four combined world records, with Muhammad previously breaking it twice in 2019 and McLaughlin lowering it to 51.90 at U.S. Olympic Trials in June.

In the Olympic final, Muhammad also ran under McLaughlin’s previous world record.

The Netherlands’ Femke Bol won bronze at 52.03, and the third American in the final, Anna Cockrell, finished seventh but was disqualified because of a lane infraction.