Il Nuovo Postiglione - McLaughlin-Levrone sails through 400m heats at world championships

The 26-year-old American, who is the world record holder at the 400m hurdles but has chosen to run the flat race in Japan, clocked 49.41sec to easily win her heat at the National Stadium.

"It's amazing to be back to Tokyo," said McLaughlin-Levrone. "I was focused on the first half of the race tonight and ran it well. I did it relaxed."

McLaughlin-Levrone was one of the stars when Tokyo hosted the Covid-delayed Olympic Games in 2021.

She set a world record of 51.46sec when winning 400m hurdles gold in one of the stand-out performances of those Games.

She was later part of the US 4x400m relay squad that took gold.

McLaughlin-Levrone, also the 2022 world 400m hurdles champion, repeated her double gold showing at last year's Paris Olympics, again thrilling in the hurdles with another world record (50.37sec) -- her sixth in the event.

But after a six-year unbeaten streak in the hurdles, she raised eyebrows by opting to focus at these championships on the 400m flat, an event in which she has a best of 48.74sec set in Eugene in 2023 -- just shy of the US record of 48.70.

McLaughlin-Levrone said she had been seeking a new challenge.

But if she was looking for an easy step down, she can think again, with some high-class opposition awaiting her.

Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion who won silver in Paris, has this season gone sub-49sec four times.

And world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino has a 3-2 winning record over Naser this season.

Both athletes made it through their heats into Tuesday's semi-finals, with the final scheduled for Thursday.

McLaughlin-Levrone will be joined by US teammates Aliyah Butler and Isabella Whittaker.

And Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands, Haiti's Wadeline Venlogh, Poland's Olympic bronze medallist Natalia Bukowiecka and Britain's world indoor champion Amber Anning all also advanced.

A.Rastelli--INP