Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco Johnson has questioned the idea of raising the height of the hurdles in the women’s 400m hurdles event. The news came after Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone smashed her own world record to clinch gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the women’s 400m hurdles at the Stade de France, McLaughlin-Levrone left everyone behind to defend the title in 50.37 seconds. She improved on her previous world record time of 50.65, which she had set in June.
Anna Cockrell ran a personal best of 51.87 seconds to take the silver while Femke Bol, the second-fastest woman of all time in the event, finished third after clocking 52.15.
Soon after, news broke out about World Athletics considering the idea of raising the height of the hurdles in the women’s 400m event. In an episode of the Nightcap podcast, Johnson questioned the move and opined that it was being done to put the Americans at a disadvantage.
“Do anything to make sure to put us at a disadvantage. Matter of fact, let them raise the hurdles. You know, she gonna come back and do? Adjust, adapt and break it again,” he said.
The women’s hurdles are currently set at 76.2cm (30 inches) while it is 91.4cm (36 inches) for the men.
Shannon Sharpe defends Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, points to Armand Duplantis’ staggering pole vault records
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not the only athlete breaking their own world records at the Paris Olympics. Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis clinched gold in the men’s pole vault with a similar effort.
Duplantis won the gold medal with a 6-meter vault and later cleared the 6.25m mark to set the new world record. He had earlier broken the world record with a 6.24m at the Xiamen Diamond League in April. In fact, this was the ninth time that Duplantis broke the world record.
Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe, who was also on the Nightcap podcast, has questioned World Athletics for looking to alter the height in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400m hurdles but remaining silent about Duplantis and the pole vault
“They are raising women’s hurdles heights after Sydney’s six times breaking the record. Hold on, whoa! She’s broken the record six times, what y’all going to do with that pole vault record? Mondo Duplantis. He has broken the world record nine times, you see?” he asked.
Sharpe also suggested that raising the height of the women’s hurdles would only end up making it difficult for anyone to break Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s record in the future.
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