EUGENE, Ore. (LEX 18) — It's the last night of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and two Wildcats, Masai Russell, of the Class of 2023, and Sydney McLauglin-Levrone, from UKTF 2017 to 2018, both got gold in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles, individually.
The Cats ended the trials in Eugene, Oregon getting four U.S. Championships and six medals over the eight days of competition. The program sends five Americans to the 2024 Olympics in Paris this August. Two more University of Kentucky alumni and staff are representing Kentucky on the world stage.
McLaughlin-Levrone closed the U.S. Olympic trials with a world record of 50.65 in the 400-meter hurdles. It's the fifth time in her career that she's set the event world record and the second time in her career that she's won gold in the Olympic Trials. At the U.S. Olympic trials in 2021, her then-world record was 51.90 for the 400-meter hurdles. Now, McLaughlin-Levrone will join Team USA for the third time at the Olympics — formerly participating in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.
Russell will be joining Team USA at the Olympics for the first time in her career. She secured her first U.S. Championship in the 100-meter hurdles, Sunday. She crossed the line with a globally leading 12.25 time. That time is Russell's third consecutive personal best, taking down Gail Devers U.S. Olympic Trial record of 12.33 set in 2000.
