© Copyright – 2025 – Athletics Illustrated
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (SML) returned to the site of her first global senior championships from the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and smashed the American 400 metre record.
On Day 4 of the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships, SML clocked a 48.29-second sprint during her semi-final heat, number three.
Her win four years prior in Tokyo was in the 400 metre hurdles.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with a PB, World lead & US National record time in the 400m (48.29)…
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) September 16, 2025
Oh, and it was in a semifinal. 🤯
Outrageous from the reigning 400m hurdles Olympic champ.#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/hWvAaclae5
Sanya Richards-Ross’s 48.70 American record in the 400m has stood since 2006.
Great Britain’s Amber Anning took second in the heat at 49.38. Taking third was Nickisha Pryce at 49.46. Nine athletes ran under the 50-second benchmark across the three semi-final heats. The fastest in Heats 1 and 2 were Salwa Eid Naser from Bahrain in 49.47 (2) and Natalia Bukowiecka of Poland in 49.67 (1). Results are listed below.
A potential world record
Next up for SML is the world record of 47.60 seconds, a record many believe is well within SML’s reach.
Koch ran 47.60 40 years ago.
Thursday will be SML’s opportunity to take the record. By SML’s finish line disposition and running through the finish line with apparent ease, it appears she is in position to take the record.
Koch’s performances have long been under suspicion that they were allegedly achieved with the aid of doping. She was part of the East German systematic doping program.
Some documents list the dosage and timetables for the administration of anabolic steroids to many athletes of the former communist state. Koch’s name appears in them. According to the sources, Koch did use the anabolic steroid Oral-Turinabol (4-Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone) during the 1980s with dosages listed.
Koch set 30 outdoor and indoor world records during her career.
- 100m 10.83 seconds (+1.7) West Berlin June 8, 1983
- 200m 21.71 seconds (+0.7) Karl Marx Stadt June 10, 1979
- 400m 47.60 seconds Bruce Stadium, Canberra October 6, 1985
SML set the current 400m hurdles world record during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, clocking 50.37 seconds. The 26-year-old has improved the world record six times, starting with her 51.90 run in June 2021 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. She had improved Dalilah Muhammad’s record of 52.16, which the American set during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships.
Results
Tuesday, September 16 – Semi Final
| Pos. | Heat | Athlete | Nat. | Result | RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Sydney MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE | USA | 48.29 Q WL | 0.212 |
| 2 | 3 | Amber ANNING | GBR | 49.38 Q SB | 0.195 |
| 3 | 3 | Nickisha PRYCE | JAM | 49.46 q SB | 0.191 |
| 4 | 2 | Salwa Eid NASER | BRN | 49.47 Q | 0.199 |
| 5 | 1 | Natalia BUKOWIECKA | POL | 49.67 Q SB | 0.203 |
| 6 | 2 | Roxana GÓMEZ | CUB | 49.78 Q SB | 0.223 |
| 7 | 1 | Marileidy PAULINO | DOM | 49.82 Q | 0.210 |
| 8 | 1 | Henriette JÆGER | NOR | 49.87 q | 0.176 |
| 9 | 3 | Martina WEIL | CHI | 49.88 | 0.197 |
| 10 | 2 | Isabella WHITTAKER | USA | 50.20 | 0.194 |
| 11 | 2 | Lieke KLAVER | NED | 50.25 | 0.243 |
| 12 | 2 | Stacey Ann WILLIAMS | JAM | 50.39 | 0.191 |
| 13 | 1 | Sada WILLIAMS | BAR | 50.39 SB | 0.185 |
| 14 | 1 | Aaliyah BUTLER | USA | 50.63 | 0.161 |
| 15 | 1 | Wadeline VENLOGH | HAI | 50.67 | 0.202 |
| 16 | 3 | Bassant HEMIDA | EGY | 50.69 | 0.196 |
| 17 | 2 | Printassia JOHNSON | BAH | 50.81 | 0.184 |
| 18 | 3 | Andrea MIKLÓS | ROU | 50.90 SB | 0.167 |
| 19 | 3 | Paula SEVILLA | ESP | 50.97 | 0.180 |
| 20 | 3 | Sharlene MAWDSLEY | IRL | 51.22 | 0.200 |
| 21 | 2 | Mercy Adongo OKETCH | KEN | 51.36 | 0.251 |
| 22 | 1 | Dejanea OAKLEY | JAM | 51.42 | 0.179 |
| 23 | 1 | Yemi Mary JOHN | GBR | 51.51 | 0.236 |
| 24 | 2 | Victoria OHURUOGU | GBR | 51.65 | 0.232 |
Sunday, September 14 – HEATS
ROUND 1 – HEAT 1
| Pos | Athlete | Nat. | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieke KLAVER | NED | 50.32 Q |
| 2 | Isabella WHITTAKER | USA | 50.82 Q |
| 3 | Dejanea OAKLEY | JAM | 51.07 Q |
| 4 | Lauren GALE | CAN | 51.56 |
| 5 | Alice MANGIONE | ITA | 51.70 |
| 6 | Mette BAAS | FIN | 51.92 |
| 7 | Vimbayi MAISVOREWA | ZIM | 52.28 |
| 8 | Ellie BEER | AUS | 52.31 |
ROUND 1 – HEAT 2
| Pos | Athlete | Nat. | Mark | MS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadeline VENLOGH | HAI | 49.91 Q NR | |
| 2 | Natalia BUKOWIECKA | POL | 50.16 Q | |
| 3 | Aaliyah BUTLER | USA | 50.44 Q | |
| 4 | Sada WILLIAMS | BAR | 50.93 | |
| 5 | Leni SHIDA | UGA | 51.61 | |
| 6 | Zoe SHERAR | CAN | 52.19 | .190 |
| 6 | Myrte VAN DER SCHOOT | NED | 52.19 | .190 |
| 8 | Miranda Charlene COETZEE | RSA | 57.78 |
ROUND 1 – HEAT 3
| Pos | Athlete | Nat. | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE | USA | 49.41 Q |
| 2 | Martina WEIL | CHI | 50.61 Q |
| 3 | Mercy Adongo OKETCH | KEN | 50.76 Q |
| 4 | Sharlene MAWDSLEY | IRL | 51.04 |
| 5 | Caitlyn BOBB | BER | 51.72 |
| 6 | Eveline SAALBERG | NED | 51.73 |
| 7 | Javonya VALCOURT | BAH | 52.00 |
| 8 | Tiffani MARINHO | BRA | 53.34 |
| 9 | Esther MAYADJIM MINGUEYAM | CHA | 56.35 PB |
ROUND 1 – HEAT 4
| Pos | Athlete | Nat. | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nickisha PRYCE | JAM | 49.91 Q |
| 2 | Henriette JÆGER | NOR | 50.12 Q |
| 3 | Roxana GÓMEZ | CUB | 50.35 Q SB |
| 4 | Printassia JOHNSON | BAH | 50.53 PB |
| 5 | Yemi Mary JOHN | GBR | 50.71 |
| 6 | Lada VONDROVÁ | CZE | 51.90 |
| 7 | Dianna PROCTOR | CAN | 51.98 |
| 8 | Gabby SCOTT | PUR | 52.55 |
ROUND 1 – HEAT 5
| Pos | Athlete | Nat. | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salwa Eid NASER | BRN | 49.13 Q |
| 2 | Stacey Ann WILLIAMS | JAM | 49.59 Q PB |
| 3 | Andrea MIKLÓS | ROU | 50.96 Q SB |
| 4 | Victoria OHURUOGU | GBR | 51.37 |
| 5 | Anna POLINARI | ITA | 51.55 |
| 6 | Shirley NEKHUBUI | RSA | 51.82 |
| 7 | Nanako MATSUMOTO | JPN | 52.41 |
| 8 | Nadeesha RAMANAYAKE | SRI | 53.63 |
| 9 | Evelis AGUILAR | COL | 53.82 |
ROUND 1 – HEAT 6
| Pos | Athlete | Nat. | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marileidy PAULINO | DOM | 49.85 Q |
| 2 | Amber ANNING | GBR | 49.96 Q |
| 3 | Bassant HEMIDA | EGY | 50.36 Q NR |
| 4 | Paula SEVILLA | ESP | 50.69 PB |
| 5 | Justyna ŚWIĘTY-ERSETIC | POL | 51.80 |
| 6 | Sophie BECKER | IRL | 52.19 |
| 7 | Veronika DRLJAČIĆ | CRO | 52.67 |
| 8 | Susanne GOGL-WALLI | AUT | 52.92 |
| 9 | Samira AWALI BOUBACAR | NIG | 52.99 SB |
