'My biggest worry was...' - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recounts challenging events that possibly impacted her world record miss in Tokyo

After narrowly missing Marita Koch's controversial 400m world record in Tokyo, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has now opened up on the challenging events that possibly impacted her world record miss.

The American track queen broke ground at the World Championships in Tokyo last month by becoming the first woman this century to complete the 400m under 48 seconds. She clocked an astonishing 47.78s - the fastest in four decades, thus sending a clear signal that the once "eternal" Marita Koch's 47.60s world record set in 1985 is now within reach.

More impressive about McLaughlin-Levrone's run was that she achieved the feat on a cold, rainy, wet track in Tokyo, and many analysts believe she could have broken the long-standing record if the conditions were more favourable.

Despite these possibilities, she remains uncertain whether the adverse weather cost her the world record, noting it had been worse earlier in the evening.

“My biggest worry was, ‘Are we going to get all the way to the stadium warmed up and then there’s a weather delay at 10.30pm?" she recounted of moments before the race in an interview with The Telegraph.

“So for it to just be some light rain, I was like: ‘This is great.’ There is always just that sense of a dry track, the energy return… but I’m not even going to worry about that. I’m grateful it wasn’t thunder and lightning," she added.

“It was kind of a blur. It hurt. It was hard. It was a really tough race, but I’m happy with the time. It’s fun to think about maybe what the difference would have been. But I can’t complain with 47.7. To see it actually pop up on the clock is like, ‘Whoa’ because, for so long, we just haven’t seen a four followed by the seven. I honestly haven’t assessed what next steps look like."

McLaughlin-Levrone further stated that the 400m world record is still a target she won't ignore and may see her make a serious attempt in 2026.

"I'm sure every athlete feels this interesting balance of pride and content, but also discontent, and wanting more," she reflected. "I'm already asking Bobby: 'Where's the two-tenths [of a second] at? What did you see that I could have done differently or better?' As a competitor, your mind goes to, 'Man, why couldn't I be two-tenths faster?' But I'm also super grateful for the leaps and bounds we were able to make this season."

At just 26, McLaughlin-Levrone already boasts nine Olympic and World Championship gold medals and holds the current and five previous 400m hurdles world records.