After Track & Field Fans Lost Hope, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Finally Able to Make 400m Hurdles Season Debut

Fans eagerly awaited Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone‘s return to the 400m hurdles. However, they were disappointed when she only competed in the 100m at the Oxy Invitational and the 200m hurdles at the LA Grand Prix. After a season filled with uncertainty and anticipation, track and field fans can finally rejoice. Levrone, the reigning Olympic and world champion who broke the 51-second barrier and holds a record time of 50.68 seconds, is all set to make her long-awaited debut in the 400m hurdles.

Recently, her coach Bob Kersee told NBC Sports that Levrone will likely be seen at the 400m hurdle in the Paris Olympics as well. In all the races she has sprinted in this year, the 400m hurdles have been missing. But after a recent X post, her return has been confirmed, rekindling excitement and hope among her dedicated fans.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400m hurdles season debut revives track & field enthusiasm

Track Spice shared a photo on X detailing Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s upcoming 400mH participation in Georgia. “Sydney McLaughlin racing in the 400m Hurdles at the upcoming Edwin Moses Legends Meet,” the caption read. This comes as a pleasant surprise to her fans who have been eagerly waiting to see her in this particular race. The image also revealed the date, time and location along with a link to the tickets.

The Edwin Moses Legend’s meet will mark the first time Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will participate in the 400m hurdles since August 2022. The tickets have already gone live. Fans are waiting eagerly to see the two powerhouses compete against each other. Levrone is in top form this year as she recorded a personal best of 22.07 seconds at the LA Grand Prix and beat star sprinters Abby Steiner and Brittany Brown. At the Occidental Invitational, she won both the 100m and 200m events as well. At the meet, Levrone will compete against Veronica Campbell Brown, the Jamaican sprint queen and Olympic gold medalist. The competition will be fierce. And now, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s comeback, backed by Michael Johnson, not only excites track & field fans but also highlights mentorship in the sport.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone gets support from veteran Michael Johnson

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been facing criticism lately for sporadic participation in events since her victory at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The frustration has only grown as she pulled out of the 2023 World Championships due to a knee injury. Though she returned to Mt. SAC Relays in California, it was a team event and did not satisfy fans. The problem worsened at the Oxy Invitational due to insufficient promotion of Levrone’s participation and the absence of television coverage for the event. So fans were not informed of her participation despite waiting to see her perform. 

However, she found solidarity in Michael Johnson, the 4x Olympic champion. Michael supports Levrone, saying the problem lies with the track and field community, not Levrone herself. Stating, “I would love to see her race more but she is not the problem. The current structure is. It’s not her job to fix it. But it is now my job and I’m on it. Stay tuned.” Michael Johnson took matters into his own hands as he has raised $30 million to start a new track and field league that is set to launch next year. It will offer a variety of events taking place between April to September. His league promises to be able to do good on both fans and athletes’ parts.