"You don't say good luck to those kind of people"- Justin Gatlin compares Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's aura to Usain Bolt

Justin Gatlin has revealed his top three picks for the women’s 400m at the upcoming U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone leading the field. The event is set to take place from July 31 to August 3 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

The women’s 400m flat is one of the most anticipated events of the meet, as Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will step outside her signature event to contest the flat 400m. Remarkably, she hasn’t lost a hurdles race since 2019 and now looks to make her mark in a new lane.

On a recent episode of Gatlin’s podcast, Ready Set Go, co-hosted with Rodney Green, he discussed the pressure McLaughlin-Levrone faces as a dominant force in track and field, making a major transition.

He compared her stature to that of the legendary Usain Bolt, explaining,

"We say when we see people like Sydney or even Bolt in his prime, we like you don't say good luck to those kind of people. You just say, 'Hey man, do your thing.'"

Gatlin also noted her determination and preparation with coach Bobby Kersee, stating that if her goal is to break the American record, they’ll reverse engineer that goal, mapping out the steps and training needed to reach it.

Gatlin predicted Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to take first place in the women’s 400m, with Alexis Holmes finishing second. He sees a tight contest between Aaliyah Butler and Isabella Whittaker for third spot.

“I got Sydney for first place right now in the women's 400. My second place is going to go to the veteran Alexis Holmes. My third spot is a toss-up between Aaliyah Butler and Whittaker,” said Gatlin.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is already the second-fastest American woman ever in the flat 400m, having clocked 48.74 seconds at the 2023 U.S. Championships, just 0.04 seconds shy of Sanya Richards-Ross’s American record of 48.70 set in 2006. So far in 2025, her season-best is 49.43, which ranks sixth in the world. Three Americans who have run faster this season are Butler, Gabby Thomas, and Whittaker.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on her never-ending journey of learning on track

Grand Slam Track - Miami - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has proven herself across multiple sprint events, 200m, 400m flat, and her record-breaking 400m hurdles. In a July 2025 interview on Ready Set Go, she spoke about her constant drive to get better and described herself as a student of the sport.

“Whether it’s the 400 hurdles, the 200 this weekend, or the 100 and the 100 hurdles, I just want to be the best I can be when I step on the track. I truly feel like I’m a student of the sport, always learning in every way I can. Like with the 100, I’m learning how to improve my block starts, drop my front knee more parallel to the track, drive that first step, toe drag if I can, and stay down.” (10:14 onwards)

Despite her 48.74 performance in 2023, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone missed the World Championships that year due to injury. Notably, she has never raced the flat 400m at a global championship, and this year presents her first true shot at the title in the event.