The MileSplit Olympic Trials Report

2016 U.S. Olympic Trials
Johanna Gretschel


Day 10: Sunday, July 10

16-Year-Old Sydney McLaughlin Is Youngest Olympian Since 1972

Sixteen-year-old Sydney McLaughlin displaced Vashti Cunningham as the youngest track and field Olympian since 1972 today, as the rising high school senior ran 54.15 to sneak into third place in the 400m hurdles behind Ashley Spencer, who ran 54.02, and Dalilah Muhammad, who set a new meet record of 52.88. Both Spencer and Muhammed represent Nike.

McLaughlin's mark is a new world junior record. The prior record of 54.40 was set by Wang Xing of China in 2005. The USATF Junior champion also lowered her own national high school and American junior records.

Muhammed's mark is the fifth-fastest performance in American history.



McLaughlin, who will turn 17 the week before the Olympic Games on August 7, is the youngest person to qualify for the U.S. Olympic track and field team since 1980 when Carol Lewis and Denean Howard qualified in the long jump and 400m. Neither actually competed in the 1980 Olympic Games due to the U.S. boycott; once McLaughlin competes in Rio, she will be youngest to do so since 1972.


After the race, McLaughlin was critical of her form - and ready for a cheeseburger.

"I was pretty sloppy in the beginning," she said. "I had a few left legs where they shouldn't have been. And [Dalilah] was gone, there was no catching her so I just trying to finish for a spot."

She is not thinking about turning pro at this time, and has not decided whether or not she will compete at World Juniors.

Jim Lambert of NJ.com posted the following video of Union Catholic fans inside Stage House Tavern in Scotch Plains, N.J. cheering for their hometown hero:


Here's what Sydney had to say before the final: