Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s honestly on another level, right? She’s solidified herself as one of the greatest hurdlers ever, especially after what she pulled off at the Paris Olympics. She snagged her second consecutive gold in the 400-meter hurdles, smashing her own world record for the sixth time. And get this: in chilly weather, she blew everyone away, finishing the 400m in 49.11 seconds and also took home the 200m gold with a 22.07 and then in the 4x400m too. Now, that’s insane, right? People were totally hyped for her, and she definitely deserved all the praise.

But here’s the thing: at the USATF Wing Awards on December 7, she was named the most dominant American athlete of the Games. Still, not everyone was totally on board with that. Some fans shared their sentiments online with comments like, “Wait, she should’ve gotten more recognition than that!” Because, while McLaughlin-Levrone absolutely crushed it, Gabby Thomas walked away with Athlete of the Year. Do you think that was the right call, or was McLaughlin-Levrone the one who should’ve taken that title too?

Gabby Thomas really had an epic 2024, didn’t she? She bagged gold in the 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m at the Paris Olympics. As the fifth consecutive sprinter to win the honor, following stars like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Dalilah Muhammad, and Sha’Carri Richardson, she was awarded the prestigious Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award as the top U.S. female track and field athlete of the year.

As it stands, many people did not approve of how the awards unfolded. Audiences had some rather passionate things to say too, particularly when it came to McLaughlin-Levrone. No one was more deserving of the Female Athlete of the Year award than the world record holder in the 400m hurdles, in addition to being unbeatable in the 200m and 400m flat races. “So she’s the best Track athlete in the world but not the country? She is world class in 3 events – 400mh, 400m flat, 200m & ran the fastest 400m split of all-time along with a WR – USATF is just going to fuel her to an even bigger year.” Some fans said, “Should have won Female Athlete of the year over Gabby. Even WA agrees.” It made sense, right?

But this award is different: it does not result from the judgment of professionals and industry leaders alone. The fact is that the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award and similar ones, such as the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, are awarded through fan voting and media recommendations. Thus, the outcome is what fans and media expected it to be.

This has nothing to do with blaming anyone; it simply has to do with what people’s collective vote decided. The supporters have spoken, and Thomas is the winner. That is the system, though some folks in America believed that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone should have received a better break. However, still, these two athletes do not have any animosity against each other at the same time.

Gabby Thomas praises Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

After winning gold in the Paris Olympics in the 4x400m relay event, Gabby Thomas only had words of praise for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She stated that having Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder and Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles, as a teammate made it easy for the rest of the group. “With Sydney on the team, we could race without pressure,” Thomas explained. This made the final lap easier for Thomas, and the rest of the squad, McLaughlin-Levrone, had opened up a big lead through her powerful third leg. The U.S. team, which also included Shamier Little and Alexis Holmes, finished with a world-leading time of 3:15.27, thus the American record.

However, some problems occurred during the baton passing. Thomas said that the handoff’s transition between her and McLaughlin-Levrone was a bit messy.“I didn’t realize how fast she was coming in,” Thomas laughed. “She came in so hot, I thought she was going to run me over!” Still, Thomas pointed out how this one was averted, not least by their mental strength as well as the confidence that they had in each other. “It was all grit and resilience. We didn’t need to be perfect; we just trusted each other,” she said. And ultimately—the trust brought them the triumph; gold medals were awarded to them. No matter what people say!