From the gun, Dalilah Muhammad bolted out of the blocks like she had something to prove.

In the past several years since she won the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Olympic Games, the U.S. landscape in the event had changed. The 16-year-old upstart who joined Muhammad on the Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney McLaughlin, developed into a world-leading talent as a collegian at Kentucky, then went pro. Shamier Little, who rocked the NCAA in 2016 but just missed the final at the U.S. Trials, became a U.S. champion. At the world championships in London, Kori Carter beat Muhammad to win the world title.

Meanwhile, Muhammad hadn't cracked 53 seconds since 2017. 

But, as the rain poured down at Drake Stadium during the women's 400m hurdles final at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships, the crowd quickly realized Muhammad was trying to do something more than remind them of her resume: prove that she's the best 400m hurdler in world history.

Muhammad threw down a furious first half and didn't relent as she built more than a five-meter gap on the rest of the field. 

When she crossed the line, the clock displayed 52.20. She destroyed the 52.34 world record set 16 years ago by Yuliya Pechonkina.

McLaughlin finished runner-up in 52.88; Ashley Spencer followed in third in 53.11 (which tied her PR), and then Little in 53.91. Carter, who has a bye into Doha, will join them there in October.

Watch Muhammad's world record-setting race here: