Olympian From Bayside Bested By Athlete At Olympic Trials

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — A record-setting Olympic track and field athlete and Bayside high school alumna was bested by another hurdler in the Olympic trials, though both athletes are expected to advance to this summer’s Olympic games in Japan.

On Sunday, Sydney McLaughlin ran the 400 meter hurdles in 51.90 seconds, breaking record-holder Dalilah Muhammad’s 52.16 time to become the first woman to ever break 52 seconds in the event, reported NBC Sports.

Muhammad, who was born-and-raised in Rochdale, Queens and attended Bayside’s Cardozo High School, placed second in the event, which has become somewhat of an ongoing contest between the two athletes.

“I don’t look it as a rivalry,” Muhammad told the Washington Post, adding that she and McLaughlin — who is nearly 10 years her junior — are at “differne times in our careers.”

For Muhammad, the notion that the two are rivals “makes it seem like we’re going head-to-head, where in reality I wish Sydney nothing but the best. I love seeing where the event can go.”

McLaughlin agrees that there’s “no animosity” or “hard feelings” between the two athletes. “It’s just two people trying to be their best. We wouldn’t be able to have these world records go back and forth without one another,” she told the Washington Post.

And indeed when McLaughlin crossed the finish line the first congratulations she received was from Muhammad, who gave her a hug as the younger athlete gasped in disbelief of her record-setting time.

Although the two don’t harbor hard feelings against each other, Muhammad still said that the event in Tokyo is “going to be a battle.”

Muhammad’s 52.42 finish on Sunday remains the sixth-fastest time ever, and her personal third best, but expects that her performance could be better this summer in the Olympic games.

This spring the athlete from Queens has faced her own set of challenges, including a hamstring injury and a fight against COVID-19.

“I think there’s more in store for me, and Tokyo will be good for me,” Muhammad told NBC.

Tokyo’s Olympic games will kick off later this month on Friday, July 23, and end on Sunday, August 8.