McLaughlin had the fifth best time this year of the entrants in Rio (54.15), but could not come close to that here running 56.22 today and 56.32 yesterday.
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The top two runners in each semifinal automatically qualify for the final, along with the top two fastest others.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – The American teenager was talking as if her time in Rio was done – the competition was just too intimidating, the Olympic atmosphere was too overwhelming and she was bothered by a persistent cold.
“I went into the race with my expectations a little bit lower than should’ve been”, said McLaughlin, who turned 17 on August 7.
“I think my bounce has just been missing all week, and now this”, McLaughlin said. She finished fifth in 56.32 seconds, but her time was good enough to move her into the semis. “It kind of just showed that this is not the time for me. Just being here is incredible for me”.
She said she started well but soon lost her stride pattern, switching lead legs.
“It’s gonna help me, you know?”
McLaughlin wasn’t exactly sure how to run this type of Olympic race – go out fast or save a burst to finish. “You know, it’s just practice, getting ready for the future”.
In heat #3, Dalilah Muhammad, the 2016 world leader of the USA, showed why she is the favorite running 53.89 to get the win.
No, really. She started a juggling club at her high school and can juggle while riding a unicycle. “You eat next to people you’re going to race against, world champions and Olympians”.
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Sydney McLaughlin is just a week past her 17th birthday, but the teen track phenom put her first Olympic experience into perspective with the wisdom of someone much older.
