It started long before the rivals Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone squared up at Stade de France. The whispers of the world record holder only showing up for the Olympics, while Femke Bol was a regular across all international events began. McLaughlin-Levrone appeared in only two major international events until the 2024 season since winning gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Her first event was the 2022 World Championships and her second was a single Diamond League appearance in 2023. On home solid the world record setter committed in the 2022 USATF Championships. Following the Diamond League appearance, the 25-year-old raced in the USATF New York GP and Champions before sustaining a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Bol has been among the most active athletes this year winning three Diamond League titles in 2024 alone. So, fans were left concerned when Bol announced she felt sick ahead of the Zurich Diamond League. “Unfortunately, I won’t be running @weltklassezurich like planned. I’ve been sick the last (few) days and I need to give my body some time to recover,” the Dutch hurdler wrote. However, the track and field star, who had been building up to the Diamond League finals, was not ready to miss it.

“Last race this Saturday at the Diamond League final,” the gold medalist’s announcement surfaced on Reddit. The community was pleasantly surprised to see Femke Bol back on her feet so soon. After all, the Zurich Diamond League concluded a little less than a week ago. However, unlike McLaughlin-Levrone’s controversial return, Bol’s announcement didn’t divide the fan base.

Yet the Dutch Olympic medalist’s announcement inevitably brought Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone into the conversation. And why wouldn’t it? Rarely do we see such a unique rivalry in track and field. Despite not competing in a single League event this season, the 25-year-old shattered her previous world record in Paris. The perennial Dutch challenger was left chasing the champ.

Many thought that alone earned the hurdling queen her spot in the Brussels final lineup. Despite not racing often and battling injuries for nearly a year, the two-time consecutive Olympic 400m hurdles champion has dominated the event. First setting the world record in 2021, she has bettered it five times.

Yet, despite continuously moving the goalpost further away from Femke Bol, many fans cited the rules. Under pressure from the track and field community, World Athletics CEO Petr Stastny announced that McLaughlin-Levrone will compete in a special race. Following this decision and Femke Bol’s announcement, fans couldn’t help but compare the two champions once again.

Fans back Femke Bol in what’s set to be a missed opportunity

While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone handily defeated Bol in Paris, fans were furious that she earned the wild card. The wild card rules state that an athlete has to compete at least once in a Diamond League race and win the Olympics or World Championships to become eligible. However, McLaughlin-Levrone only met part of the criteria.

“Unlike Sydney (McLaughlin-Levrone), (Femke) Bol actually races, lol.” Redditor Left-Secretary-2931 stressed. A second individual agreed with the sentiment. “Femke (Bol) has been racing the entire season.” commented that fan. Despite falling short against the American hurdle queen, Bol has earned her spot by besting the competition. At Lausanne, Femke Bol even defeated Paris silver medalist Ana Cockrell, avenging her loss.

Although the Flying Dutchwoman could’ve dropped out and called it a season, her dedication only impressed fans further. While the 25-year-old may be the dominant force, she ran in only five events this year, including the Olympics. The champion made her debut in the 200m flat at the Onyx Invitational and LA Grand Prix in May. However, McLaughlin-Levrone ran the 400m hurdles only at the USATF New York Grand Prix and the Olympic trials at Hayward Field, Oregon.

She broke the hurdles world record in the trials and then again at the Olympics. Yet, despite these world-class performances, the contrast in their output is quite staggering. With Brussles on the horizon, Bol would’ve equaled her rival through League races alone, if she didn’t fall ill ahead of Zurich. However, the fan also made an important distinction. “Besides, different events. Sydney wasn’t going to run the hurdles,” Left-Secretary-2931 added. The Diamond League has also confirmed this claim.

“She (Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Controversy) will run the 400m on Friday and the 200m on Saturday,” wrote the Allianz Memorial Van Damme Instagram page. Meanwhile, another fan corrected a mistake about the Reddit post claiming Bol had ended her season ahead of Zurich. “She never announced the end of her season, it was only about Zurich Diamond League,” the fan clarified.

Finally, some fans discussed the probability of Femke Bol winning the Diamond League hurdles. “She’s really consistent at running 52-low, so there’s a good chance for prize money for her based on the other entries,” theorized one Reddit user. However, the only thing carrying over from previous entries is the 24 points Femke Bol accumulated throughout the 2024 competitive season.

However, one fan was confident the Dutch hurdler would win the finals, especially with McLaughlin-Levorne out of the equation. “She’s the second best in the history by far, yeah I think there’s a good chance that she wins.” the fan wrote confidently. Yet no matter what happens on September 13 and 14, the track and field community will miss another clash of two titans.

Despite stellar performances at the Paris Olympics, Femke Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won’t meet in the Diamond League finals. What do you feel about the messy situation and Bol’s quick turnaround? Tell us in the comments.