By Julia Lobaina
Rain or shine, Sydney McLaughlin is on pace for greatness.
The University of Kentucky freshman and 2016 Olympian won her first NCAA championship in the 400-meter hurdles Saturday afternoon at Hayward Field, crossing the finish line at 53.96 seconds.
McLaughlin cruised past her competitors with what seemed to be minimal effort. Her closest competitor, runner-up Anna Cockrell of USC, was nearly two seconds behind with her season-best time of 55.71.
“It wasn’t my cleanest race,” McLaughlin said. “I definitely realized some things going down the backstretch that we’re going to have to adjust.”
Minutes before the race began, the Oregon rain came into full force. Hayward Field just about flooded with heavy rain and hail, but the intensity died down as the race got underway.
Although the weather was not in the athletes’ favor, McLaughlin came prepared to battle in any circumstances. She said she was able to come over the challenges with a change in her training.
“I was kind of mentally all over the place,” she said. “But I think I was able to adjust quite well, and I think it’s going to help me with races where I can’t control the outcome.”
Being able to come out with the win despite the challenges and changes McLaughlin faced was exactly what she was looking for to earn her first NCAA title.
McLaughlin has broken her personal best not once, but twice this outdoor season. At the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee, McLaughlin’s race put her .41 seconds away from world record holder Yuliya Nosova-Pechonkina.
Most of McLaughlin’s races aren’t close. The camera often has to pan down the stretch to include the other competitors.
And Saturday’s race wasn’t any different. McLaughlin started in Lane 4 and exploded ahead of her competitors mid-race as if it was all a breeze.
Even though winning has become a formality for the Wildcat, each race brings different nerves, lessons and outcomes that make each race special. She said she takes each race day by day because it’s always a thrill not knowing what’s going to happen.
“I always go into a race with a mindset that anything can happen and anybody can win that day,” McLaughlin said. “It’s about each day waking up and realizing that I have to focus on myself in order to win.”
As she finishes her first year as a collegiate runner, McLaughlin’s times at the University of Kentucky will come to a close as she becomes another “one and done” athlete, a term all too familiar with Kentucky fans.
“This was my last college meet, and that’s definitely the next step that’s going to be happening,” she said. “We’ll see where it goes from there.”
The New Jersey native could’ve turned pro out of high school with sponsors eager to sign her, but she wanted to be a normal college student first.
Prior to McLaughlin’s career and success as a Wildcat, she was one of the most decorated high-school athletes ever. She is a 10-time high school champion, holds the under-20 record at 52.82 and the distance medley relay record at 10:40.31.
As a young athlete, McLaughlin understands the pressures of being the runner on everyone’s radar and having the target on her back because she holds the fastest collegiate record. When she steps on the track, all eyes are on her, wondering if this will be the meet where she breaks the world record of 52.34.
“It’s going to come when it comes, and today definitely wasn’t the day for it regardless if I wanted it to happen or not,” she said. “But once everything comes together, that world record will come.”
