What a time to be a Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone fan, right? Watching her attain a sixth 400m hurdles world record and position Team USA in the driver’s seat with her 4x400m relay anchor leg, it’s like a fan’s paradise. In fact, her supporters just had one ask- to see her more often on the tracks even beyond the mega meets and what are the odds, that got granted too. September 3, the 4x Olympic champion announced her last hurrah of the season at the Brussels Diamond League, the final chapter of the series.

While this is a game-changer for fans who eagerly wanted to see this, McLaughlin-Levrone’s return hasn’t been without backlash. Her wildcard entry into the Diamond League finale came under scrutiny due to a fundamental rule that states, “the athlete must have competed in at least one Diamond League meeting during the season.” Since McLaughlin-Levrone does not meet this criterion to qualify as a global wildcard, her entry has raised eyebrows. However, on the other hand, her loyal supporters, the “SML loyalists,” are excited to see her step into the 200m sprint territory.

Sydney’s 200m curveball caught the track world off guard

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has played the “wildcard” quite literally by announcing her return to the Diamond League circuit—just for the final showdown, though. On September 13, she will compete in the 400m race, followed by the 200m the next day. The hurdles specialist’s decision to opt for flat races has surprised her fans. But considering the widespread assumptions that she was done for the season after Paris, no one can really complain, right? If anything, this shows how McLaughlin-Levrone is expanding the range of disciplines she competes in.

Here’s an interesting fact: between 2018 and this season, McLaughlin-Levrone hadn’t ventured into the 200m sprint, essentially hitting pause on that distance for quite some time. Then, in a surprising turn of events, she stunned the track world by entering the 200m dash at the 2024 LA Grand Prix in May, where she clocked a personal best of 22.07 seconds. Impressively, this performance outshone the current Olympic champion, Gabby Thomas, whose slower finish of 22.68 seconds placed her sixth.

“I feel good. I love the sprint races; love the shorter races,” she confessed after her LA win. She further added, “For the second 200, I think it was pretty acceptable.” But this time around, the stage is way more serious than a feel-good race. And the athlete looks like she’s out on a mission herself. However, the fans seem confident that she will emerge a winner.

Track and field fans optimistic about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 200m sprint

Just a few days back, track and field enthusiasts were discussing the possibility of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competing in the 200m at the next season’s Tokyo World Championships. Well, after this turn of events, this sounds quite plausible. But, first things first. Currently, the fans are thrilled to see Sydney in Brussels. One of them wrote, “I’ve never seen her run a 200 before. This will be fun to watch.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s last 200m sprint was in 2018, at the Gainesville Florida Relays, where she clocked in first with 22.39 seconds on the board. Since then, she only returned to the format in 2024, at the Occidental Invitational in LA, where she came first again. Followed by a second at the LA Grand Prix. Reminiscing that, a fan said, “and she ran that into a headwind, omg it’s over for them🙁😂” The ‘them’ here can possibly be McLaughlin-Levrone’s competitors.

A third fan chimed in with, “Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is now smoking elite runners at 200m,” confident that she will not accept loss as an option. Moreover, it looks quite possible that she outpaces some of the signature 200m runners, as her 22.07 200m sprint is the 8th fastest time this year. Tied with Dina Asher-Smith at 22.07, McLaughlin-Levrone has been faster than Tamari Davis, Tamara Clark, and Daryll Neita this year. Moreover, she is even faster than the Jamaican star Shericka Jackson who hasn’t gone below 22.29s this year, after the Jamaican trials.

In fact, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s time is barely a few hundred seconds short of Abby Steiner, Brittany Brown, and Sha’Carri Richardson’s season bests this year. Given that she goes sub-22, it seems quite an achievable task. Therefore, a fan chimes in saying, “Based on the current field, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is more likely to win the 200m at the Diamond League Final than the 400m.”

But the fact that Gabby Thomas has polished her form ever since cannot be overlooked. The current 200m Olympic champion and world silver medalist, her lead time this year ranks at 21.78s, from Hayward Field. However, fans are still confident that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has pulled up her socks too. Referring to the last time these phenoms went head-on, at the LA Grand Prix in May, one of the fans opines, “Today someone shared a clip where Sydney beat 200m Olympic champion Gabby Thomas earlier this year. I think Syd can beat anyone.” Do you think so? Share your thoughts on who can prevail over whom in the 200m.

Also, before you go, check out the latest episode of EssentiallySports Think Tank.