"It definitely is uncomfortable" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up about 400m transition ahead of World Athletics Championships

American track athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has opened up about the challenges of transitioning to the 400m flat for the World Championships 2025. The 400m hurdles world record holder had made her decision to snub her specialization event a couple of months back.

After that, McLaughlin-Levrone competed at the US National Championships and clinched the national title in the event, earning qualification for the Worlds in Tokyo, scheduled to start next week. Just a few days ahead of the competition, the 26-year-old shared her mindset behind this transition from hurdles to flat races.

McLaughlin-Levrone revealed that she wanted to prepare herself as an all-around athlete and face the challenges of trying out a new event at a World event. She further mentioned that she wanted to line up with the best 400m athletes in the world and sees this transition as a rewarding one for her. She said (via Olympics, 3:35 onwards):

"I think it felt like the right thing to do, just because I want to be the best, well rounded athlete I can be. And this is one of those challenges that I think I had been putting off for myself."

"I wanted to step out in a different way, and so I think there was a bit of apprehension at first of do we really want to take that step, but I want to compete, and I want to compete well and against the best and push myself to be the best that I can be. So it definitely is uncomfortable, but it's rewarding to carve new paths."

Notably, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will face several tough challenges in this new event in Tokyo. Even though she has maintained an unbeaten streak in this distance so far in the season, her competition in the upcoming weeks will be the likes of Salwa Eid Naser and Marileidy Paulino, two former World Champions.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on chasing the 400m World record at the 2025 World Championships

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Image via: Getty)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared her thoughts on chasing the 400m world record at the World Championships in Tokyo. Currently, the record is held by Marita Koch at 47.60 seconds, while McLaughlin-Levrone's career-best time in this distance is 48.74 seconds.

McLaughlin-Levrone said that even though the fans expect her to produce world record-breaking performances frequently, doing it in a new event will be a tough ask for her. She said (via World Athletics media call):

"It’s a long-standing record for sure and a very fast time. I think, over the past few years, the performances that we have put on have created an appetite for records whenever I step on the track which, to a degree, I guess is fair. But, at the same time, those come when they come and, especially an event like the 400m, takes time."

During the conversation, Sydney McLauglin-Levrone also remarked that she just wants to run as fast as he can and improve her times over the 400m distance.