Allyson Felix reacts to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's historic 400m feat at the World Athletics Championships

Allyson Felix recently extended her congratulatory message to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone following the latter's historic feat at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. McLaughlin-Levrone stunned the athletics world once again with her 400m performance in the final at Tokyo on Thursday, September 18.

The American athlete executed an unforgettable performance by clocking 47.78 seconds, to surpass Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser, who posted 47.98 and 48.19 seconds, respectively. With the win, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the 42-year-old championship record. The timing also marked the season's best and the second-fastest 400m of all time.

McLaughlin-Levrone fell short of only 0.18 seconds of the almost 40-year-old world record of 47.60 seconds, set by Marita Koch. Along with fans, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 400 m hurdles also left the legendary sprinter Felix in awe. She praised McLaughlin-Levrone's performance on her Instagram story and wrote:

"Congratulations @Sydney McLaughlin16! Truly unmatched! Beautiful to see🙌 🔥"

McLaughlin-Levrone reached the finals after a stellar performance in the semifinal round, where she set a new American record with48.29 seconds. With this timing, she surpassed the 14-year-old record of 48.70 seconds registered by Sanya Richards-Ross in 2007.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hints at competing in two events at the 2028 LA Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo via Getty Images)

Following her outstanding 400m victory at the World Athletics Championships, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone showed confidence in competing in two events at the 2028 LA Games. She ditched her pet event, the 400m hurdles, in which she broke the world record six times, and competed in the flat event even when people doubted her.

After registering a near-world record time, McLaughlin-Levrone hinted at competing in the 400m and 400m hurdles at the upcoming Games on home soil.

"I knew there were a lot of people doubting me with making the switch from 400m hurdles to the flat 400m, but ultimately, I had faith in my training. I knew I had it in me," she said. "It definitely helped having Mariledy Paulino in the outer lane where I could see her. But I still had to get the work done. My coach told me to get out of the blocks as fast as possible, not to stay in it for long.” (worldathletics.org)

“We will need to talk about the schedule for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Maybe I could do both 400m and 400m hurdles. I would need some days off between those events and there is a tough field in both events," she added.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her gratitude after setting the American record for the first time in the semifinal.

About the author

Janhavi is a Sports Management graduate working as a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She emphasizes meticulous research and fact-checking before creating content, relying on multiple sources including social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, as well as various sports publications.

She has competed in the 10m Air Rifle Shooting event at the national level alongside renowned athletes such as Anjali Bhagwat, Apurvi Chandela, and Anjum Moudgil, which further fueled her passion for the sport.

Abhinav Bindra is her favorite Olympian, and she particularly cherishes his and Neeraj Chopra's gold medal victories as they revolutionized Indian athletes' mindset towards achieving sporting excellence.

If given the opportunity to introduce a new sport to the Olympics, she would choose American Football for its widespread appeal and intense competition. Apart from reporting on the latest news in the world of Olympics, she likes to immerse herself in reading, painting, and traveling.

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Edited by Janhavi Shinde