3 times Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone failed to achieve the top spot in the 400m hurdles ft Rio Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is one of the most prolific track and field athletes in recent times. She is the current world record holder in the women's 400m hurdles and has broken the record six times since 2021.

The sprinter from New Brunswick outpaced former world record holder and defending Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad at the US Olympic trials in 2021. Mclaughlin-Levrone also became the first sprinter to break the 52-second barrier and the 51-second barrier in the women's 400m hurdles within a span of three years.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has won four successive Olympic gold medals since 2021 in both the women's 400m hurdles and the women's 4x400m relay events.

However, there was also a time when the 25-year-old sprinter was not completely invincible. McLaughlin-Levrone had suffered setbacks quite early in her international career, including an early exit from the Rio Olympics. However, she soon overcame them to become one of the toughest track and field athletes the world has ever seen.

Here are some of the occasions when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lost out on the top spot in the 400m hurdles :

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3 occasions when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was defeated in the 400m hurdles

#3) World Athletics Championships 2019 :

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in action at the World Athletics Championships 2019 [Image Source : Gettyy]

After the setback at the Rio Olympics in 2016, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was rising quickly through the ranks. She had also achieved a world under-20 record in 400m hurdles at an athletic meet in Fayetteville, Georgia.

However, despite giving tough competition to Dalilah Muhammad, McLaughlin-Levrone lost out on the gold medal, finishing second at the World Athletics Championships in 2019 with a personal best of 52.23 seconds. Muhammad went on to win the gold medal with a new world record of 52.16 seconds.

#2) US Olympic Trials 2016 :

The US Olympic trials were the first major event for McLaughlin-Levrone since her outing at the World Youth Championships in Cali in 2015, where she had won the gold medal.

However, the trials did not go very well for the then 16-year-old hurdler, who just managed to scrape through with a third-place finish, as she clocked 54.15 seconds. Ashley Spencer stood second, while Dalilah Muhammad finished first with a timing of 52.88 seconds.

#1) Rio Olympics 2016 :

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in action at the Rio Olympics 2016 [Image Source : Getty]

The Rio Olympics was the breakthrough moment for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as a track and field athlete at the senior level. However, she could not clinch a victory in the 2016 Games.

McLaughlin-Levrone was one of the youngest American athletes to have made her Olympic debut at the quadrennial event held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. She finished fifth in the heats with a timing of 56.32 seconds and made it to the semifinals.

However, McLaughlin-Levrone couldn't handle the pressure at the big stage, and even though she improved her timing in the semifinals, she couldn't make it to the finals, finishing fifth in the semifinals with a timing of 56.22 seconds.