(August 7) —— Olympic and world champion Sydney McLaughlin returns to action for the first time since her record-breaking performance at the World Athletics Championships 2022, last month, at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial 2022 in Szekesfehervar, Hungary on Monday (8).
McLaughlin, who smashed her 400m hurdles world record on her way to winning the gold medal at Oregon22, was a late addition to the field in midweek and she will be aiming to pick up from where she left off in Eugene. Read more: How to watch the Gyulai István Memorial 2022 on Aug. 8?
The American who ran an unbelievable world record of 50.68 seconds to shatter the mark for the fourth successive time in a championship race, will line up against the recently crowned Commonwealth Games 2022 champion, Jamaica’s Janieve Russell.
Russell is among three women who have personal bests below 54-seconds down to take on McLaughlin as they look for what would be a surprise victory over the American most recent track queen.
Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, the 2019 world bronze medalist and a finalist in Eugene and Birmingham, is also on the start list, along with Panama national record holder Gianna Woodruff, a world and Olympic finalist.
The rest of the field is completed by European U23 champion Emma Zapletalová of the Slovak Republic, her compatriot Daniela Ledecká, as well as Vera Barbosa of Portugal, and the home favorite Janka Molnár of Hungary.
Will McLaughlin break the meeting record of 52.81?
Last year Dutch star Femke Bol set the meeting record of 52.81 to beat USA’s Shamier Little in a very tight race from start to finish. Russell was third behind the battling pair a year ago in 53.68.
Also read from the Commonwealth Games 2022: [Video] Nigeria wins Commonwealth Games 2022 women’s 4x100m; times and complete teams
The Gyulai István Memorial 2022 – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix — is part of the 2022 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
PHOTO Randy Miyazaki
