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. 

Follow along with the Cats on FacebookInstagramTwitter and at https://UKathletics.com

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

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.