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Rio Olympics 2016: U.S. teen Sydney McLaughlin reaches semis in 400 hurdles

Sydney McLaughlin, with candles barely extinguished from her 17th birthday party last week, is on to the semifinals in her first-ever Olympic event.

The youngest member of the United States track and field team was among the three Americans who qualified for the semifinals in 400-meter hurdles Monday in Rio.

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McLaughlin placed fifth in her heat with a 56.32 but was able to sneak into Tuesday's semis with the 20th best time overall. Ashley Spencer (55.12) and Dalilah Muhammad (55.33) also qualified in second and fourth, respectively.