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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared her thoughts on how she feels while competing in races without hurdles. This comes after her participation at the Prefontaine Classic where she secured an impressive win of 49.43s in the 400m flat.
The 400m hurdles world record holder competed at the Diamond League event in the promotional flat race, which was not a part of the main scoring program. Despite not competing in her signature event, she finished ahead of her compatriots Aaliyah Butler (49.86s) and Isabella Whittaker (50.81s).
Following this victory, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has lately been featuring in flat events, was asked to share if it felt ‘foreign’ to race without hurdles. To this, the four-time Olympic gold medalist responded, stating (via Citius Mag 0:53 onwards):
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“Yeah. Yeah, I'm so used to feeling like, okay, get to this certain hurdle at this pace and now I'm like, ‘I don't know where I am, you know?’ So, it really is just different. But I'm learning and it's fun to learn and have this new challenge.”
Before her appearance at the Prefontaine Classic, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competed at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia, founded by Michael Johnson, where she had featured in her non-regular events i.e. the 100m and 100m hurdles, as part of the short hurdles group.
The 25-year-old is next set to compete in another 400m flat event at the Ed Murphey Classic, scheduled for July 11 and 12. Alongside McLaughlin-Levrone, big names like Athing Mu, Laulauga Tausaga, and Brittany Brown are also set to feature at the meet this weekend.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone weighs in after missing out on 400m flat American record at the Prefontaine Classic
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflected on whether she was aiming for the 400m flat American record at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic. Although she missed out on the mark, she shared her thoughts on whether it had been on her mind before the race. In a post-race interview with Runnerspace (starting at 0:46), the American responded:
“I think it's on the mind always. Of course, it's about executing, making sure all the things match up, but yeah, that comes when it comes. Son [Sanya Richards-Ross] is an amazing athlete, so I'm not surprised it's still standing.”
“Absolutely. I think it's possible. It's there. I know I'm capable of it. It's just a matter of putting the race together,” she added when asked if she would chase it in the future.
Notably, Richards-Ross holds the American record currently with a remarkable time of 48.70s, which she clocked at the IAAF World Cup at Olympic Stadium in Greece in 2006.
