<p>Sydney McLaughlin obliterated her own world record to claim a thrilling last-gasp victory over rival Dalilah Muhammad in the Olympic women's 400m hurdles final on Wednesday.</p>.<p>In another classic duel between the two dominant American hurdlers, McLaughlin surged past Muhammad just metres from the line to win in 51.46sec, slicing a whopping 0.44sec off her previous mark of 51.90 seconds set at the US trials in June.</p>.<p>Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic and world champion, took silver with a time of 51.58 seconds, well inside the old world record, with Femke Bol of the Netherlands earning bronze in 52.03 seconds.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-live-Tokyo-2020-Olympics-Tokyo-Olympics-Japan-Covid-19-coronavirus-Tokyo-Tokyo-games-Japan-olympics-tokyo-summer-olympics-1016012.html" target="_blank"><strong>Track live updates of Tokyo Olympics 2020 here</strong></a></p>.<p>"What a great race," said McLaughlin. "I'm just grateful to be out here celebrating that extraordinary race and representing my country."</p>.<p>It was another epic world record-breaking battle between the 21-year-old McLaughlin and the 31-year-old Muhammad.</p>.<p>Muhammad set a world record when she won the US trials in 2019 ahead of McLaughlin, before again beating her for gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha in a near photo-finish with a new record.</p>.<p>McLaughlin avenged that loss in Oregon in June to defeat Muhammad at US trials with a devastating world record run.</p>.<p>McLaughlin's victory on Wednesday came after a superb tactical race which saw Muhammad make a flying start in the lane outside her rival.</p>.<p>Muhammad led coming off the final hurdle but McLaughlin produced a late burst of speed to claim her first gold medal.</p>.<p>"I saw Dalilah ahead of me with one to go. I just thought 'Run your race'," McLaughlin said.</p>.<p>"The race doesn't really start until hurdle seven. I just wanted to go out there and give it everything I had.</p>.<p>"It's just about trusting your training, trusting your coach, and that will get you all the way round the track."</p>.<p>The win came a day after the men's 400m hurdles race produced an epic duel between Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin, which ended with Norway's Warholm also setting a world record.</p>.<p>"I can't really get it straight in my head yet. I'm sure I'll process it and celebrate later," McLaughlin said of her record run.</p>.<p>McLaughlin's world record on Wednesday is just the latest in a slew of records that have tumbled on the Olympic Stadium track, which athletes at the Games have said is conducive to fast times.</p>.<p>McLaughlin's hurdles gold was the first of five medals to be handed out on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The highlight of the evening session will come in the men's 200 metres, where the USA's Noah Lyles will aim to make up for a blunder which almost cost the reigning world champion and favourite a place in the final.</p>.<p>Lyles only qualified for the final as one of the fastest semi-final losers on Tuesday after inexplicably pulling up at the line in his semi-final.</p>.<p>That allowed him to be overtaken by Canada's Aaron Brown and Liberia's Joseph Fahnbulleh.</p>.<p>"I'm glad I made it to the finals and that is all that matters," a relieved Lyles said afterwards.</p>.<p>"I knew I was going to make it. It was a bit risky, I wouldn't lie, but I made it."</p>.<p>Other medals up for grabs on Wednesday include the men's 800m final, the women's 3,000m steeplechase and the men's hammer.</p>.<p>Wednesday also saw the start of the decathlon and heptathlon multi-discipline events.</p>.<p>Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson is looking to add Olympic gold to her 2019 world championship victory, while Canada's Damian Warner and French world champion Kevin Mayer battle it out in the decathlon.</p>
<p>Sydney McLaughlin obliterated her own world record to claim a thrilling last-gasp victory over rival Dalilah Muhammad in the Olympic women's 400m hurdles final on Wednesday.</p>.<p>In another classic duel between the two dominant American hurdlers, McLaughlin surged past Muhammad just metres from the line to win in 51.46sec, slicing a whopping 0.44sec off her previous mark of 51.90 seconds set at the US trials in June.</p>.<p>Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic and world champion, took silver with a time of 51.58 seconds, well inside the old world record, with Femke Bol of the Netherlands earning bronze in 52.03 seconds.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-live-Tokyo-2020-Olympics-Tokyo-Olympics-Japan-Covid-19-coronavirus-Tokyo-Tokyo-games-Japan-olympics-tokyo-summer-olympics-1016012.html" target="_blank"><strong>Track live updates of Tokyo Olympics 2020 here</strong></a></p>.<p>"What a great race," said McLaughlin. "I'm just grateful to be out here celebrating that extraordinary race and representing my country."</p>.<p>It was another epic world record-breaking battle between the 21-year-old McLaughlin and the 31-year-old Muhammad.</p>.<p>Muhammad set a world record when she won the US trials in 2019 ahead of McLaughlin, before again beating her for gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha in a near photo-finish with a new record.</p>.<p>McLaughlin avenged that loss in Oregon in June to defeat Muhammad at US trials with a devastating world record run.</p>.<p>McLaughlin's victory on Wednesday came after a superb tactical race which saw Muhammad make a flying start in the lane outside her rival.</p>.<p>Muhammad led coming off the final hurdle but McLaughlin produced a late burst of speed to claim her first gold medal.</p>.<p>"I saw Dalilah ahead of me with one to go. I just thought 'Run your race'," McLaughlin said.</p>.<p>"The race doesn't really start until hurdle seven. I just wanted to go out there and give it everything I had.</p>.<p>"It's just about trusting your training, trusting your coach, and that will get you all the way round the track."</p>.<p>The win came a day after the men's 400m hurdles race produced an epic duel between Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin, which ended with Norway's Warholm also setting a world record.</p>.<p>"I can't really get it straight in my head yet. I'm sure I'll process it and celebrate later," McLaughlin said of her record run.</p>.<p>McLaughlin's world record on Wednesday is just the latest in a slew of records that have tumbled on the Olympic Stadium track, which athletes at the Games have said is conducive to fast times.</p>.<p>McLaughlin's hurdles gold was the first of five medals to be handed out on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The highlight of the evening session will come in the men's 200 metres, where the USA's Noah Lyles will aim to make up for a blunder which almost cost the reigning world champion and favourite a place in the final.</p>.<p>Lyles only qualified for the final as one of the fastest semi-final losers on Tuesday after inexplicably pulling up at the line in his semi-final.</p>.<p>That allowed him to be overtaken by Canada's Aaron Brown and Liberia's Joseph Fahnbulleh.</p>.<p>"I'm glad I made it to the finals and that is all that matters," a relieved Lyles said afterwards.</p>.<p>"I knew I was going to make it. It was a bit risky, I wouldn't lie, but I made it."</p>.<p>Other medals up for grabs on Wednesday include the men's 800m final, the women's 3,000m steeplechase and the men's hammer.</p>.<p>Wednesday also saw the start of the decathlon and heptathlon multi-discipline events.</p>.<p>Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson is looking to add Olympic gold to her 2019 world championship victory, while Canada's Damian Warner and French world champion Kevin Mayer battle it out in the decathlon.</p>
