By Chris Chavez
June 8, 2023
400m hurdles world record holder, Olympic and world champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will run her first open 400m race since April 2021 when she races in Friday’s Paris Diamond League.
Here’s what you need to know:
– McLaughlin-Levrone will run her first race since last summer when she steps on the track for the Paris Diamond League.
– She was previously announced as a headliner for the Los Angeles Grand Prix in May but withdrew from the meet.
– Coach Bobby Kersee has said the plan is for McLaughlin-Levrone to run the flat 400m at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in July. She confirmed those plans in Thursday’s press conference.
– Kersee had high praise for McLaughlin and told the Orange County Register that she has world record potential in the 400m.
– McLaughlin-Levrone said it will be up to Kersee whether she will hurdle in any upcoming races. She has not made a decision on whether she would race the flat 400m, if she qualifies with a top three finish at the U.S. Championships, or defend her 400m hurdles gold medal since she has a bye as the reigning world champion.
– McLaughlin-Levrone’s personal best is 50.07s from 2018 when she was a freshman at the University of Kentucky.
– She split 47.91s during the 4x400m final at last year’s world championships, which is the seventh-fastest relay split in history.
– In Friday night's race, she will go up against Olympic and world championship silver medalist Marileidy Paulino, who has the fastest time in the world for 2023 with a 48.98 at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. Paulino told CITIUS MAG that she has "no fear" going up against McLaughlin-Levrone.
– 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain is also in the race. This is her first Diamond League since returning from a whereabouts failures suspension over missed drug tests in 2018. Naser won the 400m world title in Doha in 48.14 seconds, which is the third-fastest time in history behind Marita Koch's 47.60 and Jarmila Kratochvílová's 47.99.
Here’s what she said on Thursday:
CITIUS MAG: Everyone was wowed by your 4x400 split. Coach Bobby Kersee has said you’ve got world record potential. The fans are excited. The media is excited. It should be a good race against good competition. How hard is it to manage other people’s expectations or hopes and your way of defining success?
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: “I love being able to go back to my coach, who tells me, ‘Regardless of what everyone else is telling you, I have a plan. I want you to go out there and execute it. Win, lose or draw, you’re going to go out there and do what I’ve told you to do. Everyone else’s expectations are everyone else’s expectations. For me, that really brings it back to the center of ‘What am I here to do?’ And that’s open up my season. Everyone is expecting crazy, amazing things. What happens tomorrow will happen tomorrow by the grace of God. But for me, the goal is to go out and open up my season healthily and strong and see where I’m at as we continue to progress through 2023.”
CITIUS MAG: Hypothetical question. If Bobby gives you the option to choose between the 400m and 400 hurdles at the World Championships. Which one would YOU choose?
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: “That’s a great question. Is it bad to say that I don’t know? Honestly, ask me after tomorrow. I don’t know. I have to run this one first and see how it feels.”
Watch the Paris Diamond League by streaming it live on Peacock from 3-5 p.m. ET. You can also watch on the Diamond League YouTube channel using a VPN.
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.
