Hurdles queen Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stormed to victory in the 400m at the US track and field trials on Saturday to book her spot at the World Athletics Championships, narrowly missing the American record in her weaker event.

The twice-Olympic champion, who elected to run the flat 400 rather than her signature 400m hurdles in a move that raised eyebrows, took the lead after the first 100m and never looked back to cross in a season’s best 48.90 seconds, two tenths off the American record set by Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006.

“It just takes reps,” McLaughlin-Levrone told reporters. “Everyone talks about the American record, of course, but that’s going to come when