“Sydney really pushed the bar,” said Femke Bol as she talked about her fiercest competitor, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Since the 25-year-old US hurdler turned pro in 2019, she’s only gotten better. While her first professional hurdle race in 2019 saw her finish second behind Daliah Muhammad in 52.23 seconds, 2021 was when officially broke into the scene, breaking the world record—the first of six times—and also Bol’s heart…

At the Olympic Trials in 2021, Levrone triumphed over Muhammad with a world-record breaking 51.90s, and later lowered her time even more at the Tokyo Olympics to 51.46s to claim gold. Then, in June 2022, came her third world record worthy performance with 51.41s. Not satisfied with just breaking the 52-second barrier, McLaughlin-Levrone went on to make history again in Eugene the very next month, clocking an incredible 50.68 seconds—she became the first woman to run under 51 seconds! She even lowered that record at this year’s US trials (50.65s) and then at 50.37s in Paris.

Then Femke Bol burst onto the scene, breaking the 51-second mark herself with a stunning 50.95 seconds in July this year, at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds meeting in Switzerland. Since then, McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol have become the biggest competitors in the sport. And yet the Dutch is yet to eclipse her US counterpart’s performance—a chance she missed recently as Levrone was relegated out of this year’s Diamond League

But what if there were other competitors in the mix? Would you enjoy it or just laugh? Interestingly, that seems to be the conversation lately. On September 19th ,the YouTube channel Ready Set Go featured a discussion with Justin Gatlin, Rodney Green, and Tiara Williams, diving into Bol’s recent performances, especially her impressive win at the Diamond League in Brussels. After the Dutchwoman clinched her fourth consecutive women’s 400m hurdles Diamond League crown, finishing in style with a time of 52.45 seconds, ahead of Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell, Rodney Green asked Justin how he felt about the competition. He was greeted with a big smile that many would classify as sarcasm.

Williams described the race in a lighthearted way, choosing to say it was “cute” rather than high-stakes, noting that it wasn’t particularly dramatic or intense. Justin chimed in, agreeing that the performance was expected, but then he added something that carried more significance.

Justin said, “I just feel like Sydney broke. I feel like Sydney broke the form to be the hurdles, Doug. I feel like it, and I only say that. I only say that because I remember when 52 was amazing… But now you have more females who are running those times, right? And now she’s been dipped into 50-point. You know what I mean. So it’s like you, you, you do what one person does an amazing job by pushing the boundaries of the sport or, at least their event.” 

Gatlin further added, “But then what happens is now the whole field has to catch up to that.” He points out that when someone runs a time in the 50-second range, it becomes the new benchmark, and fans start to expect even faster times, like sub-50 seconds. As a result, when they see times around 53 seconds, it feels less impressive in comparison, even though those are still amazing performances.

Justin Gatlin likened this to Usain Bolt’s dominance in the 100 meters, where times in the 9-second range became the norm, leading people to downplay other people’s achievements. Well, currently Noah Lyles is a 2024 100m fastest man with 9.79s this year. Essentially, Justin is saying that while these performances are remarkable, they create a perception that anything less isn’t as significant, which can be a tough mindset for athletes to contend with.

Gatlin’s words suggest that Femke Bol should definitely be paying attention, as Sydney’s record-breaking performances are setting a new standard for everyone. And just think—if Sydney had been able to race in the Diamond League final, it could have been an amazing showdown! It would have been so exciting to see a race like the one they had in Paris!

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone might have set yet another milestone if…

McLaughlin-Levrone was not allowed to compete in the Diamond League finals in Brussels, Belgium. In a statement from Petr Stastny, the CEO of Diamond League, he clarified that the issue wasn’t about allowing specific athletes to participate but rather about adhering to the rules and criteria that all competitors had to meet. He explained that McLaughlin-Levrone did not fulfill the eligibility requirements, as she hadn’t accumulated enough points or received a wild card.

The only other option for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone would have been a “Global Wild Card,” a provision that allowed other athletes like Jakob Ingebrigtsen to compete, but that required participation in at least one Diamond League event, which she had not done. If she had been, then again we would have seen another record.

From the moment Sydney qualified for her first Olympic Games as a 16-year-old high school student, she’s been defying expectations. Well, at the Paris Olympics, she just added another incredible achievement to her name by winning gold in the 400m hurdles at the Stade de France, breaking her own world record with a stunning time of 50.37 seconds. There, Bol finished in third place with a time of 52.15 seconds, trailing Anna Cockrell, who achieved a personal best of 51.87 seconds.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone grew up in a family that loved track and field. But she was inspired by Allyson Felix during the 2008 Beijing Olympics; she dreamed of Olympic glory from a young age. After qualifying for the 2016 Games as a teenager, her career took off, especially after teaming up with coach Bobby Kersee in 2020.

Sydney’s success peaked with a gold medal at the Tokyo Games, where she also helped the 4x400m relay team, racing alongside Felix. Now, with her sights set on a possible third straight Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 2028, she knows there will be challenges ahead, but she is enjoying every moment for now.