UK Alum Breaks 400m Hurdles World Record On Road To Tokyo Olympics

University of Kentucky alum Sydney McLaughlin secured her spot in the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday and broke a world record in the process.

The 21-year-old track and field star broke 400 meter hurdles record with a time of 51.90 seconds. Dalilah Muhammad set the previous record of 52.16 seconds, but came in second place on Sunday, ESPN reported.

“It’s one of those moments you think about and dream about and play in your head that you’ll put it together,” McLaughlin told the Associated Press.

McLaughlin credited her faith and her coach Bob Kersee for her win.

“It was trusting the process, and a lot of things you can’t really see coming. But just having the childlike faith in trusting everything is going to work out," she said after the race.

US Track and Field delayed the 400 meter hurdles and other races for hours because of extreme heat in Eugene, Oregon, where the Olympic trials were being held. Temperatures reached 108 degrees on the course, which caused U.S. heptathlete Taliyah Brooks to collapse on the track, Fox News reported.

McLaughlin said the wait “was a little bit of a throw in our plan," but she was still ready to take on the hurdles.

This will be McLaughlin's second trip to the Olympics. She was only 17 when she went to the Rio games in 2016, which made her the youngest person the US Track and Field team. She previously won the NCAA 400 meter hurdles title in 2018 for Kentucky.