“I am really looking forward to giving my best here on Friday and Saturday, and end my season in beauty.” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said ahead of the Brussels Diamond League finals. So when the time came to finally run the 400-meter flat, the 25-year-old did what she promised. McLaughlin-Levrone clocked in 49.11 seconds at the pre-competition special event, coasting to a comfortable victory.

There’s one more race the athlete will participate in before pulling the curtain on the 2024 track and field season. Yet, McLaughlin-Levrone is already looking forward to a special celebration before running the 200m tomorrow! “I know you got 200 (m) tomorrow, but chocolate and waffles? Are they on the menu?” asked the NBC report after the Olympic gold medalist’s 400m race.

“Absolutely!” responded the victorious 25-year-old athlete. Belgian chocolate with waffles is something the Olympian was looking forward to even before the race. However, it looks like she has to wait a little longer to enjoy the delicacy. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been eyeing “Belgian delicacies,” such as chocolate and waffles, from the moment she arrived in Brussels.

“I definitely want to taste those!” the four-time Olympic gold medalist said during the pre-contest press conference. However, the track and field icon also acknowledged that she had to hold off on the delicacy until the race. While the former world champion isn’t part of the official finals line-up, she didn’t take the 400m event lightly.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone doesn’t plan to take the 200-meter race lightly, either. The hurdler fell short of exceeding her previous 400m personal best of 48.75 seconds. However, she could still hope to surpass the mark tomorrow during the 200 meters. Although the Olympic record holder won’t be earning any medals in Brussels, she hopes to beat the 200-meter PR on September 15.

Hence, the Belgian Chocolate with Waffles will have to wait until McLaughlin-Levrone runs the final race of the 2024 season. The fact that the American athlete could finally put the intelligibility saga behind her will only make the sweet dish even more savory. However, many fans will still lament the entire situation long after the 2024 Memorial Van Damme.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won’t face her rivals despite running on the same tracks

While the American may be running at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, she didn’t qualify for the Diamond League finals. Why? Because despite holding the Olympic and world records, and winning the gold in Paris, the hurdling specialist didn’t race at a single DL event leading up to the finals. Initially, including her name in the event stirred up a massive uproar.

While the league took back its rule-bending decision to include Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, they wanted to honor the athlete. “To honor Sydney’s remarkable achievements, including her unforgettable 400m hurdles world record in Paris, we’ve added two special races,” the organizers posted on social media. That’s why the Olympian isn’t racing against her rivals, much to the disappointment of a section of fans.

Despite the presence of both athletes, fans won’t see the Queen of Hurdles face-off against rival Femke Bol. The Fly Dutchwoman has already avenged her Paris Olympic loss against McLaughlin-Levrone’s teammate Anna Cockrell at Lausanne. Unfortunately, we’ll never know what would’ve happened. The 25-year-old American also missed the chance to race the Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino.

Paulino won the official 400m flat race with 49.45 seconds on the clock, slower than McLaughlin Levrone’s time. While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone can’t turn back time or change the rules, she won’t skip having her celebratory dish.