An American athlete, who won at the recent U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon and set a new world record for the 400-meter hurdles, attributed the victory to her faith in God.
Sydney McLaughlin recorded a time of 51.90 seconds, defeating Dalilah Muhammad's previous record of 52.16 seconds in 2019. Muhammad came in second, who registered a time of 52.42 seconds during the race last Sunday, NBC Sports reported.
In her Instagram post, captured by The Christian Post, McLaughlin honored God for the win. She also revealed that she had a hard time preparing for the event but that the Lord lifted her burden and so she was able to run that way.
"The face of a woman who is in awe of God (Prayer hand emoji) 51.90... Weeks like these are some of the hardest in a track athletes (sic) life. The mental strain of preparing for the rounds in order to solidify your spot is heavy enough. But the amount of weight the Lord took off my shoulders, is the reason I could run so freely yesterday," she stated.
The athlete went on to say that deciding to listen to God's instruction and trusting His will led to her feat.
"My faith was being tested all week. From bad practices, to 3 false start delays, to a meet delay. I just kept hearing God say, 'Just focus on me.' It was the best race plan I could have ever assembled. I no longer run for self recognition, but to reflect His perfect will that is already set in stone. I don't deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you Father," she declared.
Further to NBC Sports, McLaughlin also credited her coach for the success. The athlete changed her coach from Joanna Hayes to Bobby Kersee in February. Kersee's training included making her run on five 100-meter hurdles, as well as taking 400-meter hurdles three weeks before the competition.
"It's truly just faith and trusting the process," she told the media outlet.
She added that she was happy for choosing "to go" with Kersee.
Muhammad, the former world record holder and defending Olympic champion, will join McLaughlin at this year's Tokyo Olympics.
McLaughlin competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she was hailed as the youngest athlete, at just a tender age of 16, to have qualified for the American track team since 1972. But she only finished 16th overall in that competition and was eliminated in the semi-finals.
During the 2019 World Championships in Doha, McLaughlin won second place in the 400-meter hurdles.
She was born to a family of athletes. Her parents were both runners. Her father, Willie, was a semi-finalist at the 1984 Olympics for the 400-meter hurdles. Her brother was a silver medalist at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships for the same event. While her sister, Morgan, won the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in Colombia, also in the 400-meter hurdles.
McLaughlin disclosed that it was her father who motivated and "lured" her in the sport, wherein he would bribe her with chocolates just for her to run.
