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Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone has rebranded herself this season. The women's 400m hurdles world record holder picked the flat 400m category this season and has been dominating it.
With the way she has adapted to the new challenge, it seems like McLaughlin-Levrone never was a hurdles runner. As the beginning of the new season approached, the 23-year-old was confused as to which event to take part in, but with each passing day, the decision could not be more obvious.
Having earned a bye straight into the 400m hurdles World Championships final, Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone had the security to opt for a new challenge. Thus, she and her coach, Bobby Kersee, opted for the 400m. The sprinter recently raced to a USATF title with a time of 48.74 seconds, which also became the world-leading time this year.
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And now, Mclaughlin-Levrone and her coach have confirmed that she will not be taking part in the 400m hurdles event at the World Championships to defend her title. Kersee said that the event's schedule was not conducive enough for the athlete to take part in both events.
Mclaughlin-Levrone has run five races this year, all of them being in the flat 400m category. She has scored a sub-50-second time in each of these races, running a PB of 48.74 seconds. This is also the second-best timing in US history. No athlete has ever won the 400m hurdles, and the flat 400m world titles in their career, and the American will look to change this when the time comes.
Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone almost broke the American record
As Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone crossed the finish line to take home her first-ever national title in the flat 400m category at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships, she also achieved a new PB with 48.74 seconds. But that was not all she achieved with this feat.
Mclaughlin-Levrone raced to the top of this year's best times, clocking in the World lead. She also ran the second-fastest 400m lap in her country's history and was only a whisker away from breaking that record. She clocked in just 0.04 seconds late of the current national record, held by Sanya Richard-Ross since 2006.
Mclaughlin-Levrone already holds the world record in the 400m hurdles event. She is also the first woman to ever record a sub-51-second finish in the event. Now, with the World Athletics Championships almost here, the 23-year-old will be looking to own the US national and possibly even the world record in the category.
