Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone left her competitors in the dust on the now-iconic purple tracks at Stade de France. She defended her Olympic golds in Paris in the 400mH and 4x400m relay, making her the only woman to achieve this feat in the former. But she is also picky about the events she competes in. While she wasn’t eligible for the Diamond League grand finale in Brussels, the hurdler ran the 200m and 400m flat invitationals at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels on September 13 and 14.

Despite the chilly weather, the American eradicated her competition by scorching to the finish line in 49.11 seconds in the 400m, while she clinched a victory in the 200m with 22.07 seconds on the clock. And it looks like the 4x Olympic gold medalist received her flowers for her accolades. What is it and why are fans dragging Gabby Thomas into it?

Due to her insane feat in the French capital, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been bestowed with a massive honor by the USATF. The USATF Wing Awards presented by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission took place on December 7, and she was the most dominant American track and field athlete of the Games. The official USATF Instagram account shared another massive achievement and captioned it:

“The Queen of the Oval ✨🏆Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the 400H TWICE in 2024, defended her Olympic title, and helped Team USA to a 4×400 American record to win the Most Dominant Performer Wing Award presented by Greater Orlando Sports Commission.”

The hurdler turned heads at the 33rd Olympics in the City of Light. But her journey to greatness began shortly before that. She broke her own world record in the 400mH race in 50.65 seconds during the U.S. Olympic Trials before taking things to Paris. At Stade de France, the Olympian shattered that record for the sixth time with 50.37 seconds on the clock. 

While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone proved that she was the reigning queen of the hurdles, her dominance didn’t end there. She joined compatriot Gabby Thomas in a bid to clinch another Olympic gold in the women’s 4x400m relay final. With a blistering split of 47.7 seconds, the quartet set a new American record of 3:15.27 in the process. Even though the USATF recognized her incredible feat, fans weren’t on board with it. They believed she should have received another honor in addition to the current one.

Gabby Thomas versus Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: Track and field fans debate!

The 2024 track season has been nothing short of spectacular for the 25-year-old. Not only did the hurdler shatter her own world record twice this year, but she also became the only athlete to defend her Olympic title in the event at the Summer Games. While USATF believed she deserved the Most Dominant Performer Wing Award, fans had opinions of their own:

• “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.”
• “Should have won Female Athlete of the year over Gabby. Even WA agrees.”

Well, World Athletics unveiled the nominations for the annual Track Athlete of the Year in October, and the 25-year-old was one of the six nominees alongside Gabby Thomas, Julien Alfred, Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, and Marileidy Paulino. However, it was Thomas who was named the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award winner in 2024. 

With this, Gabby Thomas became the fifth consecutive sprinter to win the award: Dalilah Muhammad (2019), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (2021 and 2022) and Sha’Carri Richardson (2023). However, since McLaughlin-Levrone already won it twice, it seems like fans wanted to see her win it again.

• “With all due respect to Gabby, but did she break the world record twice? Yes, she won three Olympic gold medals, but Sydney’s world record is worth more than all the gold medals.”

Gabby Thomas bagged a total of three Olympic gold medals in Paris. She won the 200-meter race and was the running legs on the U.S. 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 relay teams.

• “6× world record holder, 2 of them in 2024, undefeated in 2024. Noone’s as dominant.”

Regardless, there was a section of fans who were simply happy to see that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s talent was getting due recognition:

• “Absolute role model- she should be promoted everywhere.”

Hey, both the athletes have worked hard to get where they are. After a decent stint in the 2020 Tokyo Games, Thomas proved her mettle on the track in front of 77,000 fans at Stade de France. After clinching her first Olympic gold in the 200m, she emerged victorious in the 4×100 and 4x400m events. However, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lowered her own world record over the past three years. Both athletes have accomplished impressive feats in the City of Love. What do you think?