Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was recently spotted practicing ahead of the Diamond League Brussels 2024, also known as Allianz Memorial Van Damme. The four-time Olympic gold medalist is set to compete in the 200m and 400m exhibition races at the upcoming championship, scheduled on September 13 and September 14.
Days after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone announced her intention to participate in the Diamond League finale. However, the Diamond League representatives stated that the athlete was ineligible to participate in the event. As per the DL rules, athletes must compete in at least one of its previous events before participating in the finals.
Since McLaughlin-Levrone had not appeared at any of its events in the 2024 season, she was ineligible to compete in the championship even as a wild card entry. However, to have the Olympic gold medalist compete in the Diamond League Brussels, the organizers added special 200m and 400m exhibition races as a way to honor her brilliant performances at the Paris Olympics.
McLaughlin-Levrone's fan on Threads posted a video of the American athlete showcasing blistering runs at the race track ahead of her much-anticipated appearance at the DL. Watch the video below:
Earlier this month, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made headlines for a second consecutive gold medal win in both the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay races at the Paris Olympics. The American athlete broke her own world record in the 400m hurdles by clocking 50.37 seconds. She improved her time by 0.28 seconds from the 50.65s record set at the US Olympics Team Trials in June.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone aims to improve her personal best at the Diamond League exhibition race
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran her first-ever 400m flat race in 2023. The athlete set an impeccable personal best of 48.74 seconds at the USATF New York City Grand Prix in June last year. In the 200m, she recorded a personal best of 22.07s at the 2024 USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.
Ahead of her performance in the 200m and 400m races at the Diamond League finale, McLaughlin-Levrone stated at the press conference that her focus is improving her personal bests.
“My goal is to improve my personal records,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I started my season this spring in the 200m and 400m and now I would like to finish with them as well, assess where I stand at those distances now, after having focused a whole year on the 400m hurdles,” McLaughlin-Levrone said (via Olympics.com).
The 15th edition of the Diamond League finale will take place at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.