Sydney McLaughlin (USA) competes in the women’s 400m hurdles during track and field competition in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games (Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Sydney McLaughlin, the 400-meter specialist whose ascent to the Rio Olympics this summer captured the nation’s attention, will take the track again on Saturday, hoping to put her relay squad on the path to a new world record.
As reported by Union Catholic’s internal newsletter, McLaughlin will compete at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Saturday. She’ll be running the 400-meter leg of a distance medley which will be kicked off by 1,200-meter and steeplechase star Emma Coburn, 800-meter star Brenda Martinez and Jenny Simpson, who will conclude the race with a 1,600 leg. Both Coburn and Simpson earned bronze medals during the 2016 Olympics in Rio in their respective events (steeplechase and 1,500 meters).
The quartet will be attempting to break an indoor track world mark of 10:42.57 set by another New Balance-backed U.S. team in 2015, with an outside shot at the top distance medley time of all-time (indoors or outdoors) should they run faster than 10:36.50.
No matter which way the weekend’s efforts go, the Kentucky-bound McLaughlin is still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was even recruited to participate.