"First Tokyo witnessed the spectacular. Then came a divine act of Faith. In the women's 400m, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran one of the fastest times in history, easing down, to raise the question of whether one of the oldest and most controversial track and field records might fall later this week. Shortly afterwards another standout female of her generation, Faith Kipyegon, underlined her status by speeding to a historic fourth 1500m title with such grace and distance that it took the breath away."
"McLaughlin-Levrone, of course, already holds numerous gold medals and world records in the 400m hurdles. But now, suddenly, she has the 400m gold and possibly even the world record of 47.60 sec set by Marita Koch in 1985 in her sights too. The American showed that by running 48.29 sec in Tuesday's semi-final smashing her personal best by nearly half a second and then promising to run faster in Thursday's final."
"When asked about it by the BBC in 2014, she replied: I don't have to prove anything to myself. I have a clear conscience. I can only repeat myself I never tested positive, I never did anything which I should not have done at that time. Koch did acknowledge the fact that the record would ultimately be overtaken, though, saying that at some point, that time will come."
Two standout women produced historic performances: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Faith Kipyegon. McLaughlin-Levrone ran 48.29 seconds in the women's 400m semi-final, lowering her personal best by nearly half a second and indicating further improvement for the final. The 1985 400m world record of 47.60 by Marita Koch stands in her sights. Koch has denied any wrongdoing when asked about alleged East German state-sponsored doping, saying she never tested positive and maintains a clear conscience while acknowledging the record will eventually be broken. Faith Kipyegon claimed a fourth 1500m title with a commanding, graceful performance. Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser remain strong challengers in the field.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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