TOKYO — World records are bound to fall at every Olympics, when the world’s greatest athletes compete on one stage and are pushed further and faster by advances in technology. Yet many also wondered whether swampy conditions in and around Tokyo — and the impact of a year’s delay — would hinder the expected monumental performances.
But athletes persevered and world records were shattered in a smattering of sports.
On the track, two Americans bested their own records in the 400-meter hurdles, looking up to the scoreboard in awe. Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record, beating the one she set earlier this year.