USA's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Claims Second National Championship in 400-Meter Hurdles Race
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Shifts Focus, Aims for 400m World Title
American track and field star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has made a bold move, switching her focus from the 400m hurdles to the 400m flat race for the upcoming 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
At the USATF Outdoor Championships this year, McLaughlin-Levrone clinched her second national title in the 400m with a time of 48.90 seconds, narrowly missing Sanya Richards-Ross' American record of 48.70 seconds. This performance has brought her closer to the record and has set her sights on breaking it at the World Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone, who is the world record-holder and two-time defending Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles, has stated that this challenge is about pushing herself in a new direction and learning patience in a "very foreign" event. Her remaining goals for the season include securing the world title in the 400m flat event and potentially competing in the relays.
However, the 400m flat race at the 2025 Worlds will not be an easy feat. The reigning Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser holds the world lead this year with a best time of 48.67 seconds, just slightly ahead of McLaughlin-Levrone’s recent best. Femke Bol, a top contender in hurdles, now has a clearer path in that event due to McLaughlin-Levrone's switch to the flat 400m, suggesting Bol could be a competitor for gold in hurdles while McLaughlin-Levrone focuses on the flat 400m.
McLaughlin-Levrone has had a successful year, competing in five 400-meter races, with her first race under 49 seconds coming at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Aaliyah Butler, an athlete at the University of Georgia, finished third in the 400 meters with a time of 49.91 seconds, while Isabella Whittaker was the second U.S. qualifier with a time of 49.59 seconds. Britton Wilson, a 2023 world qualifier, fell to sixth in the 400 meters with a time of 50.88, and Alexis Holmes, an Olympic qualifier last year, was fifth with a time of 50.33.
McLaughlin-Levrone's possible rematch with Femke Bol, the current world leader in the 400-meter hurdles, will have to wait. Butler, who was second in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2024 and is the reigning NCAA champion, will likely be a strong contender in the 400m.
McLaughlin-Levrone's decision to focus on the 400m flat race comes after a knee injury in 2023 that kept her out of the World Championships in Budapest. Despite this setback, she has already amassed three world championship titles and has been a part of two gold-medal winning 4x400 relays.
With the 2025 World Championships set for September 13-21 in Tokyo, McLaughlin-Levrone has enough time to meet the demands of the event and continue her journey towards breaking the American record and contending for the world title in the 400m flat race.
Sports: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone aims to break the American record and win the world title in the 400m flat race at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, marking a shift in focus from her previous specialty, the 400m hurdles.
Track and field: At the USATF Outdoor Championships, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone clinched her second national title in the 400m and strives to secure the world title in the same event at the upcoming World Championships.
