Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone nearly broke the longest-standing world record in the flat 400-meter race to win her first title at the world championships on Thursday, after dominating the hurdles for the past four years.

McLaughlin-Levrone became the first woman in nearly 40 years to crack 48 seconds in the 400 meters; she clocked in at 47.78 seconds in Tokyo, the second-fastest time in history behind German Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60 set on Oct. 6, 1985 at a World Cup meet in Canberra, Australia.

Second-place finisher Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic ran 47.98, the third-fastest time in history, coming one year after she won Olympic gold in the event. Bahraini sprinter Salwa Eid Naser, who recorded the fifth-best time (48.14) in history in 2019, finished behind McLaughlin-Levrone and Paulino on Thursday with a time of 48.19.

McLaughlin-Levrone said at the World Athletics Championships at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo: “I knew it was going to be a fast race, great competition. Just to see it all come together there is always a bit of awe and wonder .. I’m just grateful. You know it’s there and you know you put the work in. To see it come to fruition, it’s always a bit of disbelief.”  When asked if the world record is a goal, McLaughlin-Levrone replied: “I think barriers are broken when the time is right. I think records come when they’re supposed to. It’s really just about executing and trusting the process.”

McLaughlin-Levrone, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world record breaker in the 400m hurdles, is now the first person to win world titles in both one-lap events. She also planned to race the flat 400m instead of the 400m hurdles at the 2023 Worlds, but withdrew before the meet due to injury.

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