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At the World Athletics Championships this past week in Eugene, Oregon, Team USA had its best performance ever thanks in part to some black girl magic.
Team USA finished with 33 medals overall, including 13 gold. No other country won more than four gold medals or 10 total medals.
Team USA won gold in women’s 800 meter, men’s 4×400 meter relay, women’s 4×400 meter relay, and swept the podium in three separate events: men’s 100 meter dash, men’s 200 meter dash, and men’s shot put.
A memorable moment came during the men’s 200 meter when Noah Lyles set the U.S. record for the event with the previous record holder, Michael Johnson, present in the broadcast booth.
Johnson left the booth after the race to personally congratulate Lyles on his record-setting run.
Black Girl Magic on Display
A lot of attention was focused around Allyson Felix, 36, who announced earlier this year that she would be retiring after the 2022 season. Felix was already the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete ahead of the World Athletics Championships.
In her final race at the World Athletics Championships, Felix helped the mixed 4×400 meter team take the bronze medal, finishing her career with 19 world championships medals and 11 Olympic medals.
The women’s 4×100 meter relay held off a strong contender in Jamaica to capture gold in one of track’s premiere events.
Sydney McLaughlin made headlines again when she broke the world record for 400m hurdles, the record that she set just a month prior.
McLaughlin, 22, was the first woman to ever break the 52-second barrier in the 400m hurdle, and now she is the first woman to ever break the 51-second barrier after posting a new record of 50.68 seconds.
“The time is absolutely amazing,” McLaughlin said. “The sport is getting faster and faster.”