Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2024 Season Issues: Heavily Criticized Track and Field Coach Comes Clean: “Difficult for Us”

In the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the Edwin Moses Legends Meet on Friday, May 31, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone raced to success. Running under the entrance standard for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, the world record holder finished with a respectable 52.70 seconds. Despite her success in this season till now, 2x Olympic gold medallist’s absence from some major races has raised questions and the man in the eye of the storm is her coach, Bobby Kersee.

Because of Kersee’s choices over her race schedule, fans have expressed their disapproval of McLaughlin-Levrone several times. Instead of flying to participate at Diamond League meets in Europe, Kersee discusses why he prefers to have his athletes battle locally in the United States in an Instagram post published by Citius Mag. “I like America, I like to race at home as much as possible. I get criticized for not going to Europe, but I coach United States athletes to put them on teams,” he stated.

Kersee went into further detail about the logistical difficulties of competing overseas, mentioning the 14-hour trips, time zones, food adjustments, and language obstacles. Kersee added, ” In Europe, you can go to Italy, France, Germany, same thing like we can go to Atlanta, New York, so you got the competition. But for us, it’s a 14-hour, 7-hour time difference, language change, and food change.” He continued noting the challenge to travel and the healthy stay saying, “So, it’s kind of difficult for us to go to Europe, base camp over there, and then still come back home and make our American team and stay healthy.”

However, before the 24-year-old could be seen performing again, her admirers faced two hard years of waiting. At the Oxy Invitational in May, Levrone raced on a track. She set records in the 200-meter race at the Oxy Invitational with a timing of 22.38 seconds and the 100-meter hurdles in 12.71 seconds, respectively. Viewers were understandably dissatisfied with her inconsistencies despite her exceptional play. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, though, found a companion in Michael Johnson despite the outcry of critics.

Overcoming odds Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone route ahead Paris Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s withdrawal from the 2023 World Championships due to a knee injury outraged followers. Even though she had a great recovery and finished second place at the Mt. SAC Relays, it was purely a team effort rather than an individual one. On X, a fan questioned Levrone’s frequent absences writing, “What are your thoughts on Sydney’s infrequency of races? As a fan, I find it frustrating because she’s so fun to watch and the biggest star of the sport. Her presence would go a long way toward bringing attention to the sport. As an athlete, I get it to a certain degree.”

Track icon Michael Johnson’s backing of McLaughlin-Levrone has been a ray of optimism amidst the flood of criticism. In response to a fan’s query concerning her races, Johnson agreed that track and field was an inadequate structure rather than placing the blame on the athlete.  Johnson wrote on X, “I would love to see her race more but she is not the problem. The current structure is. It’s not her job to fix it. But it is now my job and I’m on it. Stay tuned.” Moreover, Johnson just raised $30 million to launch a new league to improve track and field competitions to give athletes additional opportunities.

However, according to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach, the American hurdler’s major target is the 400m hurdles ahead of the Olympics. McLaughlin-Levrone’s priority is clearly on the 400m hurdles as the Paris Olympics draw near with just 54 days to go. Bobby Kersee, her coach, reaffirmed her participation in the event by saying, “I think Sydney’s love is the 400m hurdles, and so that’s the number one event.” As she gets ready for the U.S. Olympic Trials and eventually the Olympics, this dedication is essential. Thus, as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone gets ready for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the track and field community is keeping a close eye on her, hoping to witness more frequent runs.