Follow our Olympic coverage ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Victory was assured when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone rounded the corner in the final at New York’s Icahn Stadium. She staggered through the 400-meter race at the NYC Grand Prix on Sunday, ending all her hopes for the seven other runners in the field. All that was left was to make Sanya Richards-Ross sweat.
McLaughlin-Levrone declared before the race that she was aiming for an American record. And she almost made it, gliding her final 100 meters against the Manhattan wind. She clocked 48.75 seconds, just shy of the national record of 48.70 set by Richards-Ross in 2006.
“It’s too close,” McLaughlin-Levrone later told reporters. “But you know what, it’s all okay. There’s only so much time to do that. It’s just always refining it and learning the race.”
It was my fastest time in the 400 this season. This is my first time participating in this field in 11 months. This isn’t even her best event. It was the second time in three weekends that McLaughlin-Levrone competed in an event outside of her specialty and achieved her world best time of the year.
A world leader for Sydney!
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the women’s 400m in 48.75 seconds. 💨
📺 @nbc & @Peacock | #ContinentalTourGold pic.twitter.com/QA0Gx8fv7d
— NBC Olympics and Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 9, 2024
Sunday was further proof that McLaughlin-Levrone can do anything she wants in the sprint world. There is a natural inclination to want her to do it all.
On Sunday, she won the 400-meter race for the first time in 11 months. Three weeks ago at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, she ran the 200 meters in 22.07 seconds. That’s 0.3 seconds faster than two weeks ago and the second-best time in the world this year. Before May of this year, she had not run the 200 meters since 2018, according to World Athletics.
She is currently scheduled to compete in one event at the U.S. Olympic Trials later this month. It’s the 400 meter hurdles. In this event she holds her world record. She is the current Olympic champion in the event and her showdown with Netherlands’ Femke Bol will be one of the most exciting sprint battles in Paris.
But watching McLaughlin-Levrone in one race is like driving a luxury rental car around the block. It’s like eating just one scoop of your favorite ice cream.
She will likely run the relay in Paris as well. But her frequency only creates demand. She is arguably the most dominant and also the most mysterious. She’s definitely one of the most talented, but she’s also one of the smartest.
She has the greatest qualities of all time, with the potential to achieve divine feats. But one of the world’s fastest women is persevering in her quest for historic glory.
Her performance at the NYC Grand Prix may spark pressure to add 400m to the 400m hurdles at the trials and aim for a double. The 400-meter race will take place over the first three days of the Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, June 21-30, with the hurdles beginning on day seven. The Paris Olympics will feature preliminaries, semi-finals and finals. Each event will take place every other day from August 4th to 9th.
She said doing something crazy in New York might end up adding 400 meters to your test.
“I don’t think I would consider that crazy,” she told reporters, flashing her million-watt smile.
There is no risk in these two. An injury in the 400m jeopardized the final event of her best event, the 400m hurdles trials. She has already missed the World Championships in August due to injury. Moreover, she had never even run the 400 meters under the pressure of an international competition. Competing at the Olympics for the first time will be a difficult challenge.
But McLaughlin-Levrone is so charming that it leaves us longing for more from the living legend. One of the faces of New Balance, she is a model athlete known for her personality and kindness as much as her speed.
Sha’Carri Richardson may be the biggest name in track and field, and she has an energetic personality to match her explosiveness. Noah Lyles has a similar magnetism. At the New York Grand Prix, she won the 200 m (19.77 seconds).
🗣️ “I’m just trying to get my rhythm within 100 points. That was it. I am the 2023 100m world champion and have no plans to give up that title. I plan to become an Olympic champion.
I know 200 is locked. All you need is 2-3 200… pic.twitter.com/x8PXcWik1h
— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) June 9, 2024
But McLaughlin-Levrone is a superstar in his own right. Her wholesome grace has its own charm. Her limited presence increases demand. And her smooth running style is breathtaking in itself.
She won two gold medals in Tokyo, one in the 400m hurdles and the 4×400m relay. Her repeat performance would earn her four gold medals just days after her 25th birthday.
Carl Lewis holds the American record for winning nine gold medals in track and field. Allyson Felix won a total of 11 medals, 7 gold, the most of any track and field athlete. If McLaughlin-Levrone is finished, she could become the most decorated Olympian in U.S. track and field history.
That’s why track fans want to see more of her, but her choreography for this feature-length play is intriguing. She is competing and running in five events in 2024. All of this is just preparation for the 400 meter hurdles, and as I prepare for the trials, I’m working on a variety of factors to get to the peak in time to defend my crown. But by doing so, she only limited the variety of choices available to her.
It’s not a crazy idea for her to attempt a 400m double in Paris and a 200m/100m double in Los Angeles in 2028. She might try or even switch to the 100 meter hurdles. She can go up to 800 meters if she wants to. She is such a good person.
McLaughlin-Levrone is running her own race. Pun intended. In a sport where her praise translates into profits, and in a country where track stardom has an expiration date, she seems uninterested in microwaving her greatness. She is on a focused and meticulous path, and her talent is blinding. And her lack of presence means we have to savor these flashes of brilliance.
(Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone crossing the finish line Sunday in New York. Photo by Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
