400 metres Hurdles, Women

Unlike the short hurdles, there was a clear favorite in this event, the defending gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who was the 2022 World Champion and had set the last five world records in the event, the most recent coming at the 2024 US Olympic Trials, a time of 50.65.

McLaughlin-Levrone did have a challenger, however, in Femke Bol (NED), who had prospered in Diamond League races which McLaughlin-Levrone usually skipped. Bol was the only other runner who had gone under 51 seconds, running 50.95 only two weeks before the Olympics started, although it was at altitude, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone easily made the final, joined there by other medal contenders Rushell Clayton of Jamaica and Anna Cockrell of the United States. Bol usually starts quickly but McLaughlin-Levrone led at the first hurdle, although Bol then caught her, though not for long.

By 200 metres, SML was leading by several metres and kept increasing that lead, as Bol had no answer. McLaughlin-Levrone hit the line in 50.37 seconds, taking almost another 3/10ths off her world record, the sixth of her career.

Behind her, Bol had nothing left in trying to chase SML, and Cockrell easily outran her down the stretch to give the United States gold-silver, as Bol crossed for the bronze. Cockrell recorded 51.87 for the silver, well behind Sydney, but still made her the fourth fastest performer of all-time.

Though the event had only been contested since the 1984 Olympic Games, the victory made McLaughlin-Levrone the first to defend her gold medal or even win two gold medals in the event. She would return a few days later to lead the USA to victory in the 4x400 relay, repeating her feat from Tokyo 2020 of two gold medals in the same events.