Sports

McLaughlin breaks world 400m hurdles record with 51.41 at US Championships

Published

4 years ago

2022/06/27

Sydney McLaughlin does not race often, but she produces memorable performances whenever she does step on the track. Running a sizzling world record of 51.41* in the women’s 400m hurdles on a hot afternoon at the US Championships on Saturday (25), McLaughlin has now set world records in three of her past four 400m hurdles finals.

Clearing the hurdles effortlessly and with no one pressing her, McLaughlin broke her own record of 51.46 from the Tokyo Olympics, where she captured the gold medal. McLaughlin set her first world record of 51.90 on this same track, Hayward Field in Eugene, during last year’s US Olympic Trials and will return here next month for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

“I knew it was going to be fast,” McLaughlin said. “I looked at the time and I was really happy with it – being able to slowly progress towards lower and lower times – and I think there’s still things I could work on. I think there’s a little bit more in the tank there, so hopefully when it’s time we can just empty it completely.”

Before the three rounds of the US Championships, McLaughlin had run only twice this season: one 100m hurdles race and one 400m hurdles race, in which she clocked a world-leading 51.61 with one of the hurdles placed in the wrong position. She then withdrew from the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in New York two weeks ago to focus on the National Championships.

McLaughlin had a lead of about six metres entering the home straight and that margin had grown significantly by the time she reached the finish. NCAA champion Britton Wilson ran a PB of 53.08 for second and Shamier Little, the 2015 world silver medallist who missed the US Olympic team last year by one spot, was third with a season’s best of 53.92.

McLaughlin was the world silver medallist in 2019 behind former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad, who has a wildcard entry to the World Championships as defending champion and did not compete at the US Championships. They will likely face off next month, where McLaughlin said, “we want to put on a show for the world.”

Norman rewrites Hayward Field record Michael Norman posted a world-leading time of 43.56 to win the men’s 400m, besting his own 43.60 from the Prefontaine Classic in May on the same track. He now owns the three fastest times at Hayward Field, having also run 43.61 in 2018. Champion Allison nearly lived up to his name, finishing second with a PB of 43.70 while challenging Norman, who had to dig deep to pull away on the final stretch. Randolph Ross was third in 44.17.

Norman has run only six races this season. “I think I’m in a pretty good place,” he said. “I know I’m in really good shape. I’m excited to go back and dissect the race and figure out what areas I need to fine tune. I know it was nowhere near a perfect race.”

Norman will be seeking his first individual medal at a World Championships or Olympic Games, having finished fifth in Tokyo and failing to reach the final in Doha in 2019. “It does give me a little bit more comfort knowing that I’ve gone through the process and know what the experience is like,” he said. “I just want a different outcome.”

Diggs digs deep

Talitha Diggs, daughter of four-time Olympian Joetta Clark and niece of world and Olympic 800m finalist Hazel Clark, won the 400m in 50.22 to make her first national team. Olympic 4x400m gold medallists Kendall Ellis and Lynna Irby were second (50.35) and third (50.67) respectively.

“To see my mom and my aunt win so many of these titles, for me to get my own is a blessing,” said Diggs, who is the only US woman to break 50 seconds this season with a 49.99 for fourth on the world list.

Allyson Felix put herself in the frame for relay consideration for what would be her 10th World Championships team by placing sixth in 51.24.This is the farewell season for the 36-year-old, who made her first appearance at a senior US Championships 21 years ago.

“I’m happy I have no more open 400s ever in life,” Felix said with a laugh. “I wanted to come here, put myself in a position to be considered for one of the relays, so I can’t be upset. I’m grateful for all of the memories and happy I did it one more time.”

Felix is the most decorated US track and field athlete and has 13 World Championships gold medals, three silvers and two bronzes.

Harrison holds off Johnson The 100m hurdles had the closest finish of the day, with Keni Harrison out-leaning Alaysha Johnson at the tape. Harrison, the world record-holder and Olympic silver medallist, clocked a season’s best of 12.34 to Johnson’s PB of 12.35. Alia Armstrong was third at 12.47.Nia Ali, the world champion who is coming back from maternity leave, ran 12.49 in the semis and then withdrew because she has a wildcard entry for the World Championships.

In the upset of the day, Maggie Malone, the US record-holder and world leader in the women’s javelin, was eliminated after three straight fouls. The Olympic finalist put her hands to her head in distress after her third toss was wide right.Kara Winger won the event with a season’s best of 64.26m for her ninth national title going back to 2008.

Two-time Olympic finalist Keturah Orji leaped 14.79m to win her sixth US crown in the women’s triple jump, putting her second on the world list this season. The only better marks in US history are Orji’s US record of 14.92m from 2021 and Tori Franklin’s 14.84m from 2018.Franklin was second with a season’s best of 14.59m and NCAA champion Jasmine Moore was third with 14.15m.World and Olympic finalist Hillary Bor pulled away to win his third US steeplechase title while US record-holder Evan Jager proved that he is back after a hard four years full of injuries.

Bor’s winning time was 8:15.76, followed by Jager at 8:17.29 and Benard Keter at 8:19.16.

“I’m glad he made the team,” Bor said of Jager. “I’m happy for him now, more than me.”

Jager, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist, was one of the top steeplechasers in the world between 2012 and 2018.

“It’s been a real hard long journey to build back my body and my confidence,” he said. “I definitely haven’t felt like myself this last season steepling. I’m really proud of myself being able to get back here and making the team.”

Daniel Haugh became the sixth US man to throw beyond 80 metres in the hammer, winning the title with 80.18m and beating continental record-holder Rudy Winkler in the process.Cooper Teare, who is known more as a 5000m runner, won a strategic men’s 1500m in 3:45.86 while Sinclaire Johnson won the women’s 1500m in 4:03.29.

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Rain threat looms over lopsided India vs Afghanistan quarter-final

Published

6 hours ago

2026/09/28

Priyan

Will India change their opening combination to play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? [BCCI]

The gulf between India and Afghanistan during the recent bilateral T20I series – which India won 3-0 – was a further vindication of India’s dominance in the format and why they are world champions. It may not have reflected Afghanistan’s pedigree in the format, but it showed the gaps they still have to make up to match the top sides in the world, especially in terms of dot-ball percentage and their strike rate while batting.

Now Afghanistan, who have sent a second string side to the Asian Games, take on a full-strength India in the quarter-finals. Thirteen of the 15 players who toured India for the bilateral series are not in Afghanistan’s squad now, and the only two retained are Darwish Rasooli (the captain) and Abdollah Ahmadzai. Afghanistan’s squad of 15 is so raw that it features six uncapped players and five others who have fewer than ten international appearances. Their combined T20I experience of 262 matches is only a fraction (30%) of India’s 872 games.

There is no Rashid Khan, no Rahmanullah Gurbaz, no Mohammad Nabi, but Nabi’s genes are in the side, in his 20-year-old son Hassan Eisakhil.

India, despite a calendar clash with the home ODI’s against West Indies, which also start on Sunday, have sent their big guns to Japan in search of their second straight gold medal. If there is one team that can field multiple white-ball squads simultaneously, it is India, and they have done that. It is not officially known, however, why Afghanistan have sent such an inexperienced side when their next international fixture, a one-off Test against Bangladesh, only starts on October 9. Afghanistan aren’t alone in sending a second-string squad, perhaps to give their first-choice players some rest in an otherwise packed calendar.

The divide between the two sides is stark and even though they would want to take heart from the scare Japan handed India – even if in a rain-truncated game – recently, Afghanistan themselves lost to Nepal a couple of days ago. Now they have to compete against the world champions, a task they struggled with even at full strength earlier this month.

India have been plagued by injuries of late and one of the names on that list was of Washington Sundar, who returned to action in the Japan T20I last week. He didn’t get to bat and bowled two overs and took two wickets while playing his first game in two months. India would want to give him more game time before he heads back home for the West Indies T20Is that start on October 6 in Lucknow. Barring his niggles, Washington has otherwise had an impressive year across formats with an unbeaten 52in an ODI to give India their first win of their UK tour after he took a four-for in the Test against Afghanistan, during which he also scored 52*.

Pace-bowling allrounder Ismat Alam, 24, has played two Tests and one T20I so far, Afghanistan’s opening game against Japan. Alam was the Player of the Tournament in Afghanistan’s domestic T20s – Shpageeza Cricket League – for scoring 294 runs at a strike rate of 168, while also taking nine wickets. He had starred on his Test debut last year, scoring a century in the lower order that set up Afghanistan’s victory over Zimbabwe. Afghanistan may want to give him a game and hope he steps up again on the big stage.

India had rested Jasprit Bumrah in the one-off T20I against Japan and played Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur as their quick options apart from legspinner Ravi Bishnoi and spin-bowling allrounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. India will now have to decide whom to leave out for Bumrah. The other question will be if India want to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a game early in the tournament, although Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson look undroppable given the runs they scored in the series against Afghanistan.

India (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur/Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

Against Nepal, Afghanistan gave a T20I debut to Faisal Shinozada who top-scored along with the experienced Najibullah Zadran, the only batters who scored in double-digits in the game.

Afghanistan (probable): Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Karim Janat, Darwish Rasooli (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Ismat Alam, Nangeyalia Khan, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Arab Gul.

[Cricinfo]

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Out, not-out, out: England secure bizarre run-out in Oval victory

Published

6 hours ago

2026/09/28

Priyan

Jofra Archer's direct hit did for Pavan Rathnayake, despite Jordan Cox breaking the stumps first [Cricinfo]

England were the beneficiaries of an unusual, but ultimately correct, umpiring decision during their series-clinching win against Sri Lanka in Sunday’s third ODI at the Oval as Pavan Rathnayake was given out, not out, and then out again.

The bizarre passage of play came in the 15th over of Sri Lanka’s run-chase, when Charith Asalanka steered Liam Dawson to short third man. Jofra Archer, the fielder, threw at the keeper’s end, and Rathnayake was a long way short of his ground as the LED lights on the stumps and the bails flashed.

Rob White, the square-leg umpire, initially gave him out on-field without deference to TV umpire Adrian Holdstock, but did refer the decision after consultation with standing umpire Wayne Knights. It became clear after a replay that Jordan Cox’s gloves had dislodged the bails just before the ball hit the stumps.

Holdstock appeared to overturn the initial decision after around two minutes of deliberation, with ‘not out’ flashing up on the big screen at The Oval, but continued to review his decision at the drinks break. After another 90 seconds of deliberation, he gave Rathnayake – who was clearly bemused – out for 18.

The decision took approximately four minutes to reach, but was ultimately correct. While Cox’s gloves had dislodged the bails, Archer’s throw uprooted the stump entirely and was thereby deemed to have broken the wicket.

The two relevant MCC Laws read as follows:

29.2.1.1: “The wicket is broken fairly if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground by the ball.”
29.2.1.6: “The wicket is also broken fairly if a fielder strikes or pulls a stump out of the ground (as in 29.2.1.5).”

The circumstances were highly unusual, as the former England batter Mark Butcher outlined on Sky Sports. “What I find hard to believe is that in all the years I’ve either played or commentated on the game, I’ve never seen this before or heard that Law before,” Butcher said.

“Everybody knows that if you break the stumps and the bails come off, then you need to get the ball in your hand and take the stump out in order to affect the run-out. I’ve never heard the sub-Law about the throw knocking the stump out of the ground, and that counting as a dismissal.”

Tom Banton, Player of the Match after making his maiden international hundred during England’s innings, was similarly taken aback by the scenario. “I’ll be honest, I have never seen that before, so I actually don’t know,” he said afterwards. “But we take the mick out of Jamie Overton because he seems to know everything, and he said it was out straight away.”

MCC, who write and interpret the Laws of Cricket, are expected to clarify the decision in the coming days.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Akalanka provides glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka

Published

8 hours ago

2026/09/28

Thilina Walpola

Ayomal Akalanka

Hurdler Ayomal Akalanka provided a glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka on a largely disappointing day for track and field at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, securing his place in the men’s 400 metres hurdles final on Sunday.

‎Akalanka produced an impressive 49.78 seconds to book his berth in the final, keeping Sri Lanka’s hopes of a medal in the event alive.

‎The day, however, was marked by disappointing performances in the field events.

‎Gayan Sampath failed to register a single legal jump in the men’s long jump, bringing his campaign to an early end.

‎Madushani Herath also endured a difficult outing in the women’s long jump, finishing 12th with a below-par 5.91 metres.

‎In the men’s 800 metres heats, Harsha Karunaratne produced a sub-1:50 performance, clocking 1:49.90 seconds. He finished fourth in his heat, but the time was not sufficient to earn a place in the final.

‎With Akalanka advancing to the 400m hurdles final, Sri Lanka will look to the young hurdler to provide a stronger finish in the final.

‎The women’s javelin final was in progress when this edition went to press.