"It may look like a cakewalk, but I feel it in my legs"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reacts to critics after dominating Grand Slam Track performance

Four-time Olympic medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dominated the 2025 Grand Slam Track series with four consecutive victories, silencing critics who claimed she didn't push herself enough.

At the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami on Saturday, May 3, McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 52.07 seconds in 400m hurdles and outpaced Jamaica's Andrenette Knight (54.08s) and USA’s Anna Hall (54.48s). The following day, she claimed another win in the 400m flat with a time of 49.69 seconds, with Hall finishing second with 51.68s.

McLaughlin-Levrone claimed the 400m hurdles title with the fastest time of the year. In an interview post-race, she responded to critics who claimed that she wasn’t pushing herself enough, via CITIUS MAG:

“I say they never run the 400 hurdles. It may look like a cakewalk, but I feel it in my legs. That’s why I love to switch it up, challenge myself. The 400 hurdles is my baby. If you feel like that’s a cakewalk — I mean, I’ve done it for so many years. I hope it’s getting easier by now,” she said.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone claimed the second Grand Slam Track win in Miami by winning the 400m hurdles and 400m flat, earning a $100,000 prize. In the series' inaugural event in Kingston, she also secured $100,000 after winning both the 400m hurdles and 400m flat.

McLaughlin-Levrone, who first broke Dalilah Muhammad’s 400m hurdles world record at the 2021 US Olympic Trials, has since lowered her mark six times, most recently clocking 50.37s at the Paris Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone plans to compete in the 100m and 100m hurdles instead of her usual 400m events in the next Grand Slam Track event, Philadelphia. She last raced the 100m hurdles in 2024 at the Occidental Invitational in Los Angeles, where she won in 12.71s, close to her personal best of 12.65s.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up about her preparations and staying focused under Olympic pressure

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games - Source: Getty

Speaking with Grand Slam Track Founder Michael Johnson, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about the pressure of the Olympics, noting that, unlike other sports where you could try again next year, there was no next year in the Olympics. She shared how she used preparation and difficult moments to motivate herself, and that the best athletes were those who know how to manage pressure.

When asked how she remained at her best in the moment and handled nerves, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said, via Upfront Ventures:

"I would say my faith is a huge part of it, just knowing that my identity is not in whether I win or lose the race. First and foremost, that gives me so much peace to just go out there and use the gift that I’ve been given. But ultimately, I think in the moment, it’s just… everybody says I look so serious. I’m not waving at the camera, I’m locked in because I know what I am there to do.

She further added:

"I am really focused on executing and giving my all to everything that I’m here to do. I’m talking to myself, repeating my race plan in my head. The night before, I’m visualizing a lot, praying a lot, and spending time, you know, in the word."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone concluded by saying that once she's on the starting line, she knows all the preparations are done and she just focuses on letting the gift shine.