McLaughlin Beats Muhammad to the Gold in the 400 Hurdles

Two Americans broke the world record in an event they dominate. But only one could be first.

TOKYO — Sydney McLaughlin likes to say that “iron sharpens iron” when it comes to her relationship with Dalilah Muhammad. They are the premier practitioners of their craft, the two fastest women ever to run the 400-meter hurdles. The thinnest of margins have separated the two Americans, and it was no different as they bore down on the finish line in the final at the Tokyo Games on Wednesday morning. As Muhammad approached the 10th and final hurdle, she had a slight lead. But Muhammad also understood that there was no margin for error, not with McLaughlin three lanes to her left. And that was all it took, really: one small misstep. Muhammad could sense that she was carrying too much speed into her final hurdle, and she had to shorten her stride before clearing it, which slowed her momentum.