TOKYO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the oldest standing event record by clocking 47.78 seconds to win the women's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships here on Thursday.

The two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion trimmed 0.21 seconds off the previous mark of 47.99, set by Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki in 1983.

Reigning Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic took silver in a national record time of 47.98, while Bahrain's former world champion Salwa Eid Naser claimed bronze with a season's best 48.19. ■