Campus News

Sydney McLaughlin, Team USA Win Gold in Olympic 4x400m Relay

photo of Sydney McLaughin competing for UK in Florida Relays
Sydney McLaughlin won her second gold medal with Team USA in the 4x400m relays. Here she is seen competing for UK at the Florida Relays. Photo by UK Athletics.

TOKYO (Aug. 7, 2021) — University of Kentucky track and field alumna Sydney McLaughlin and Team USA won gold in the 4x400-meter relay in the final day of Olympic track and field competition.

Team USA, which also included Allyson Felix, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu, finished with a time of 3:16.85, with McLaughlin running the leadoff leg of the relay. 

McLaughlin did not run in the 4x400m relay heats due to their proximity to her gold medal-winning performance in the 400m hurdles, but Team USA finished with the fastest time (3:20.86). 

This is McLaughlin's second gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after winning the 400m hurdles in world record time (51.46). 

McLaughlin is the second Wildcat to win two medals in the same Olympics. Rachel Komisarz of Team USA swimming was the first to accomplish that feat, winning gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay and silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay. 

In track and field competition in Tokyo 2020, Wildcats have now earned five medals. In addition to McLaughlin's two golds, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won gold in the 100m hurdles, Keni Harrison earned silver in the same race, and Javianne Oliver ran for silver in the 4x100m relay for Team USA. 

Wildcat Dwight St. Hillaire and Trinidad and Tobago also ran in the 4x400m relay, placing eighth with a time of 3:00.85. He also ran in the individual 400m dash and qualified for semifinals. 

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Read more on all 22 Wildcats competing in the delayed 2020 Olympics here.  

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