ALL-IN ON 400M Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will not Pursue a Wild 

ALL-IN ON 400M Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will not Pursue a Wild

 

Sydney McLaughlin‑Levrone has built an extraordinary legacy in the 400 m hurdles—with world records and back‑to‑back Olympic gold medals in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. She set the current world record of 50.37 s at the Paris Olympics on August 8, 2024, beating her own previous mark of 50.65 s from the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 30, 2024 . Her dominance in the hurdles is near‐absolute: she has won every major hurdles final she’s entered since 2019 .

Given her elite flat 400 m speed—with a personal best of 48.74 s set in 2023—some expected Syd to challenge the Diamond League Final in Brussels in both the 200 m and 400 m flat. However, despite receiving an invite, she was ruled ineligible to compete at the official Diamond League Final in those events . The reason? She didn’t meet the league’s entry criteria—she had not competed in sufficient DL meets during the season and hadn’t accumulated the required rankings or wild‐card eligibility status .

Instead, McLaughlin‑Levrone opted to run in a non‑Diamond League invitational 400 m race in Brussels, where she clocked 49.11 s, faster than the official Diamond League Final winner Marileidy Paulino, in chilly conditions . She explained that it’s different racing the flat 400 m, calling it a learning process that helps her become more efficient across her main event, the hurdles .

Sydney’s caution isn’t surprising. Reddit fans have long noted that she appears risk‑averse in schedule choices: the 400 m hurdles is her signature event and almost a sure‑thing gold, while the flat 400 m—though within her capability—offers less certainty in medal projections . As one commenter put it: “400 m hurdles for Sydney is like the 200 m for Noah Lyles… they are basically unbeatable in those events” .

Her coach, Bobby Kersee, and others seem to share a calm, calculated focus: she continues to test her speed in sprints and flat races—but primarily as a means to sharpen her hurdling capabilities rather than as a pivot away from it . In the early 2025 Grand Slam meets, for example, she recorded a world‑leading 52.07 s in the hurdles (Miami, May 3) and also did well in the flat 400 m, but always with hurdles as her anchor event

Skipping the Diamond League wildcard pursuit keeps her “all‑in” on the 400 m hurdles, preserving energy and focus for what she excels at—and what she can continue to dominate. Given her trajectory and the undefeated streak stretching since 2019, any involvement in flat events appears secondary too keep her peak performance in the hurdles intact.

In summary, while there was buzz around her potentially contesting the 200 m and flat 400 m at the Brussels Diamond League Final, she declined to pursue a wild‑card entry. This was due both to eligibility rules and a strategic choice to stay completely devoted to her signature event—the hurdles—where she remains unmatched.