Tokyo, Japan - Some of the best athletes from the US track and field team were in the spotlight on Wednesday at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the women’s 400-meter hurdles final, and two women who were projected to medal didn’t disappoint.

Sydney McLaughlin (21) and her track and field teammate Dalilah Muhammad got down to business in one of the most highly anticipated races this week, in which Team USA grabbed both the gold and silver medals in historic fashion.

Over the last two years, both of these runners have been practically running neck and neck and regularly finishing their races 1-and-2. And while Muhammad came into this final as the defending world champion from 2019, this time it was McLaughlin getting all the glory.

Muhammad was ahead of the field from the starting gun, as McLaughlin was close enough to make a push if the opportunity arose. Coming around the last turn, the chance was indeed there, as McLaughlin kicked it into a higher gear to leap over the last hurdle and blow past Femke Bol of the Netherlands. She then slipped past Muhammad with a handful of meters to go to cross the finish line first.

McLaughlin's winning time of 51.46 seconds was a new world record, and Muhammad's 51.58 was also better than the previous record time of – set by none other than Sydney McLaughlin herself during the US Olympic trials in July! Bol was still close enough behind the Americans to come in at 52.03 for the bronze medal.

This is the second time in less than a day that the top two finishes improved a world record, after yesterday’s spectacular men’s 400-meter race.