TOKYO, Japan — Nickisha Pryce finished eighth in her first global individual final after she ran 49.97 seconds in an epic women’s 400m final on day six of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Pryce, who failed to get past the semi-finals of the World Championships in Budapest in 2023 and the Olympic Games in Paris last year, had qualified for the final on time after running 49.46 seconds in the semi-finals, third fastest of the round.

American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who had won the last two 400m hurdles titles at both the World Championships and the Olympic Games, etched her name in the history of the sport when she ran a jaw-dropping 47.78 seconds, second fastest ever and fastest in 40 years since Marita Koch of the then German Democratic Republic set the world record 47.60 seconds.

Marileidy Paulino, who had won the last two major championship gold medals in the World Championships in Budapest in 2023 and the Olympic Games last year, lowered her Dominican Republic national record to 47.98 seconds, taking her to third all-time just ahead of Jarmila Kratochvilova of the Czech Republic— 47.99 seconds.

Salwa Eid Naser of Qatar was third with a season’s best 48.19 seconds.

— Paul Reid