World Athletics president suggests changing most important rule of Olympic sport because athletes are 'too good'

The president of World Athletics has suggested changing the most important rule in hurdles events because the athletes are 'too good'.

The women's 400m hurdles final on Thursday proved to be one of the most incredible spectacles of the 2024 Olympics - but not because of how close it was.

Instead, American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the gold medal with a world record time of 50.37 - exactly 1.5 seconds ahead of second-placed team-mate Anna Cockrell.

McLaughlin-Levrone's great rival Femke Bol finished in third, with the Dutch runner unable to match the American in the final 150 metres.

Speaking on BBC Sport, US sprinting legend Michael Johnson claimed that his compatriot could become the first woman ever to get under the 50-second barrier - depending on whether she decides to keep running in the event as he sets her sights on the open 400m.

After McLaughlin-Levrone's sensational performance, meanwhile, World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe suggested that the women's event could be made harder - by increasing the size of the hurdles. The women's hurdles are currently six inches lower than the men's height.

He explained: "There's probably a case now for looking at the height of the hurdles because these guys don't really look like they are breaking their form very much.

"That's a mixture of good hurdling and, probably, the height."

Coe added that he had spoken with several athletes who were warm to the idea.

"This is a very much a personal view," he said. "But I've spoken to a couple of the 400m hurdlers and they think that, actually, it's probably something we might want to look at."

His comments caused plenty of debate among fans on social media, with one writing: "Yep. It's not just Sydney and Femke breaking new ground. All the top female hurdlers seem to be making massive improvements. Running 53 seconds used to be impressive - now it's ordinary for the better hurdlers."

A second agreed: "I agree with Seb - too short means the athletes are barely hurdling, more stepping over."

A third argued: "That's probably the last of the changes required. Short hurdles first along with decathlon [women's athletes currently compete in the heptathlon]."

And a fourth mused: "If they did that the times would slow down, but the gap between the top two and the rest would remain the same. Their flat speed is significantly faster than the rest."