2020 Tokyo Olympics 400m women’s hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has blazed her way to Paris. The 400 m specialist wrote her name in the history books yet again with a world record-setting 50.65 seconds finish at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Levrone didn’t just beat her previous world record by 0.03 seconds but also sent a message to rival Femke Bol.

Although the hurdler from the Netherlands walked away with a bronze medal in Tokyo, Bol has since emerged as one of the strongest challengers to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Olympic crown. She became the 400 m world champion in 2023 and set the short track record at 49.17 seconds in March 2024. Femke Bol has also dominated major events like the Diamond League this year.

The Dutch hurdler won the 400 m race at the Brussels Diamond League with a time of 52.11 seconds. However, fans lamented Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s absence as she had withdrawn due to a knee injury. A similar injury had kept her out of the 2023 World Athletics Championships where Bol claimed the victory. However, the 24-year-old American’s blistering performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on June 30th has raised the bar for Femke Bol and all other athletes eyeing a podium finish in Paris.

The Olympic gold medalist promised fans a spectacle at the finals of the Olympic trials. After taking the lead with a 52.48s finish in the semis, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone claimed she unleashed a memorable performance on June 30th. “Tomorrow, we’ll let it fly,” claimed the New Jersey native. Yet, despite her promise few would’ve expected the champion to shatter her won record.

Yet that’s exactly what she did. Despite withdrawing from multiple events earlier this year, it took McLaughlin-Levrone less than a minute on the tracks to become the woman to beat in Paris. What’s even more impressive is that the athlete battled through some pain to set the new world record.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s toe-nail situation

After repeated setbacks since 2023, the dominant force in the 400 m hurdles gave it her all for the Olympic trials. While the 24-year-old didn’t face any serious injuries, her intense training resulted in a particularly painful situation just days before the trials. McLaughlin-Levrone told an NBC Olympics & Paralympics interviewer at the event that she lost two toenails in training.

“I lost two toenails last week,” said the two-time Olympic gold medalist. Yet, the track and field star’s determination far exceeded the stinging pain. “We wrapped them up and we’re out here competing at the Olympic Trials,” the 24-year-old said during the interview. So it seems that not a painful, albeit minor, injury could keep Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from steering the stage for Paris 2024.