By Chris Chavez
May 17, 2024
Reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will focus on the 400m hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. next month. Her coach, Bobby Kersee, told NBC Sports.
Here’s What You Need To Know
– Kersee told NBC: “I think Sydney’s love is the 400m hurdles, and so that’s the number one event. My job is to make sure that she gets ready for the one that she wants to do the most.”
– McLaughlin-Levrone is the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder in the event. The Netherlands’ Femke Bol is the reigning world champion, Olympic bronze medalist and second-fastest woman in history with her 51.45 personal best set at last July’s London Diamond League. Last year, McLaughlin-Levrone won the U.S. Championship 400m title in 48.74 (second-fastest in U.S. history). She
– Last month, McLaughlin-Levrone ran 12.71 for the 100m hurdles (the second-fastest time of her career) and a wind-aided 22.38 for 200m.
– She is scheduled to run the 200m at tomorrow’s LA Grand Prix.
McLaughlin-Levrone vs. Bol Set For Paris
– We've only ever seen McLaughlin-Levrone vs. Bol in the 400m hurdles twice.
At the Tokyo Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone ran 51.46 to win gold and broke her own world record. Bol ran 52.03 for bronze.
At the 2022 World Championships, McLaughlin-Levrone dropped a 50.68 to shatter her own world record. Bol ran 52.27 for silver.
If we don't see these two go head-to-head before the Paris Olympic final, we will have gone 748 days between seeing these two race head-to-head.
Here’s how their respective careers have developed since the 2022 World Championship final in Eugene:
McLaughlin-Levrone:
• Took a break from the hurdles for all of 2023.
• Raced just five times (including the rounds of the U.S. Championships) to focus on the 400m.
•Clocked a 48.74 for the second-fastest time in U.S. history.
• Missed the World Championships due to a small PCL tear in her left knee.
• Back at full health and racing this season. Opened up with a 12.71 for the 100m hurdles and a wind-aided 22.38 for 200m just two weeks ago.
Femke Bol:
• Kept going after Worlds in '22 to claim European Championship 400m and 400m hurdles gold.
• Raced 29 times in 2023 with a full indoor season, where she ran the indoor 400m world record of 49.26 and added two more European Indoor Gold Medals
• Claimed gold in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay at the World Championships
• Has already raced 14 times in 2024. Including lowering her indoor 400m world record twice to 49.17.
Won World Indoor gold in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
• Has yet to open up her outdoor season individually.
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
