Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is back. After putting up a scintillating display of speed and elegance, the 400mH queen has finally returned to the track. Back in Paris, McLaughlin-Levrone set the stage on fire with a new world and Olympic record in the 400mH finals. Notching up a whirlwind timing of 50.37s, the US sprinter took the gold medal. In fact, she looked a league ahead of the rest, especially from her arch-rival, Femke Bol. While Bol finished third, her timing of 52.15s was nowhere near to what McLaughlin-Levrone clocked. 

And now, it seems, the queen is back once again, to weave her magic on the tracks. According to the news coming in, the 400mH Olympic gold medalist will kick off her post-Paris track journey in the upcoming Diamond League in Brussels. McLaughlin-Levrone will be participating in the women’s 400m and the 200m disciplines respectively.

The news was confirmed by a report on X by an account named ‘OwenM’. It read, “JUST IN: 2x Olympic 400m hurdles champion and WR holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been given a wildcard entry for the women’s 400m (September 13th) and the 200m (September 14th) at the Diamond League final in Brussels!!” McLaughlin-Levrone also confirmed the news via an Instagram story.

Well, such a piece of news comes with a significant development in the Femke Bol vs Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone rivalry. Till now, McLaughlin-Levrone has only participated in three Diamond Leagues. Thus, it was Femke Bol who reigned supreme in the Diamond Leagues with a whopping eight meet records to her name. Bol continued her dominance post the Paris Olympics as well winning the Lausanne and the Silesia Diamond League meets. However, according to popular theory, Bol’s success was orchestrated heavily by McLaughlin-Levrone’s absence. Now when the queen has returned, it will surely be an interesting battle to watch out for. Adding to the narrative, such news also debunks the rumors of McLaughlin-Levrone ending her season right after the Paris Olympics. When the Olympic gold medalist did not show up in Lausanne and Silesia, the rumors got stronger that the 400mH start had once again gone back to her hideout. Well, McLaughlin-Levrone has not only proved the speculations wrong but has also made her entry into a brand-new discipline. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone takes up new challenge 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is making a habit of proving her haters wrong. When the fans expected to see the Olympic gold medalist take center stage in Lausanne, McLaughlin-Levrone was spending quality time in Greece with her husband, Andre Levrone. Such an act angered the fans significantly and they started to trash the 400mH queen vehemently. But now, not only has McLaughlin-Levrone made a comeback, but she will also be focusing on the 200m discipline. 

Prior to the Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone hinted at exploring the 400m flat and the 200m disciplines. However, days before the Olympic trials, she rejected the idea and withdrew stating she won’t be competing in the 200m event. However, the recent updates clearly point out McLauglin-Levrone’s zeal to succeed stepping out of her comfort zone. 

Infact, McLauglin-Levrone’s performance in the 200m is also quite dominating. With a personal best of 22.07s in the 2024 LA Grand Prix, the 25-year-old is set to challenge the big guns from the discipline. Interestingly, her timing was better than the Paris bronze medalist, B. Brown(22.20s) and the silver medalist, Julian Alfred(22.08s). Thus, with a grand return being announced, it remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.