“It’s gonna be exciting”: Sanya Richards-Ross sets everything in motion just a few hours before the women’s 400m hurdles event at the Paris Olympics. The five-time Olympic medalist is eagerly waiting to watch Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lock horns against Femke Bol, the Dutch rival who is nothing short of euphoric as an athlete. What can’t she do? She is the reigning world champion in the 400m hurdles event and helped her mixed relay team win the 4x400m Olympic title just 96 hours ago. Would she be able to pull off another stunner by taking down the Team USA track and field skipper today?

Sanya keeps her thoughts reserved on this question. In fact, she saw this duo taking the track against each other two years ago, and that’s the last time Sydney competed against Femke. But the veteran spilled something important, and it could be the icing on the cake. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is not invincible, despite her superhuman aura 

After returning to the track this season, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has yet to face a defeat. But her idol thinks that she is just one match away from facing the ground. “Can she be beaten? Yes, anybody can be beaten,” comes from someone who knows the 400m hurdles event just like the back of her hands. But taking down Sydney, who holds Olympic gold and world-leading timing, won’t be easy for Femke as well. So what could be the way out for the Dutch sprinter? The 39-year-old retired athlete provided a solution.

In her prime time, Sanya Richards-Ross had to bring out her best form to stay ahead of her arch-rival, Christine Ohuruogu. That maxim applies to Femke Bol as well. Narrating the part, Sanya said, “Femke Bol will have to bring her very best.” Is the two-time world champion ready for this? 

Sanya does not have an answer for that, as both Sydney and Femke have rarely met each other on the track in the post-Tokyo Olympics phase. In their last meet, the American athlete took the crown of world champion, and Femke had to satisfy herself with the silver medal around her neck. Next year, Sydney had to back out of the same contest where her rival graced the top podium. Therefore, the clock is set for today, and everyone will be watching over this. In the meantime, the protagonists have almost the same thoughts about each other. 

Femke Bol may look up to her rival for boosting her for another day 

Just before the clash at the Paris Olympics, both camps are experiencing a fever of tension. Femke Bol’s coach, Laurent Meuwly, put the bet on his mentee. “I think in third position Clayton, then I think second Sydney and first Bol,” he claimed. However, Bobby Kersee, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach, does not give too much like that. 

The sage of track is known for his own mastery of choosing the contests based on their merit. Keeping such a route for almost five decades, he presented students like Florence Griffith-Joyner, Allyson Felix, Athing Mu, and Sydney. So when he says, “A cake is a cake but there’s a different flavor in each cake. It’s finding the formula for the right flavor in order to give that athlete the right taste they desire.” Anyone could predict the importance of the Olympics to him. And his mentee will go along that way. Today won’t be an exception. However, Sydney did not share much of her thoughts on this rivalry. But Femke did some. 

She conceded, “I am looking forward to racing Sydney that will push us both.” Furthermore, she added that they’re friendly. “We both realize that the 400m hurdles is not an easy event, and I have a lot of respect for her,” she continued. But she has been waiting for the Paris Olympics to meet Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the track again. How does that sound? An alert?