Carl Lewis rallies in support of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after she faces backlash for announcement of participation at the Brussels Diamond League

Carl Lewis extended his support to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone following her announcement of competing at the Wanda Diamond League Finals (September 13-14). The 400m hurdling champion's participation in two events at the Brussels Diamond League sparked several questions, as the rules to obtain a wild card mentioned that one needs to compete in at least one Diamond League event this season.

Multiple track and field enthusiasts thus, raised questions on how Sydney was allowed to register in the 200m and 400m hurdle dashes seeing as she hadn't participated in any diamond league event this season. Referring to the same, a user wrote on their X handle:

"Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hasn’t competed at a DL meet this season, therefore not fulfilling the criteria for a global wildcard or having enough points to automatically qualify. So, either the rules have changed and we haven’t been informed, or they’re bending the rules for certain athletes."

The track and field legend Carl Lewis, who is currently the head coach of the University of Houston's track and field program, showed support for the Olympic champion, citing that this has been done for him several times and it is "always a great idea":

"They did it for me numerous times. It's been happening for years, and It has always been a great idea. Get the best athletes to race, any way you can," Lewis wrote, reposting the original tweet.

Following this, he also responded to another enthusiast, "Raes Take TV", when they asked about how the wild card works in the meet. Lewis wrote:

"Put who they want that will enhance the meet. Done."

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Carl Lewis opened up about the Paris Olympic performances

The Paris Olympics 2024 concluded on August 11 and saw some great performances from multiple athletes. Carl Lewis, impressed with track and field performances at the 2024 Summer Games, took to his X and lauded the Olympians, writing:

"I've been in track and field for almost 50 years. It is one of the most difficult sports to be in. Congratulations to all of the great athletes in the world, and I marvel at your talent. But someone has to out themselves out there for all of you to get attention," Lewis wrote.

Carl Lewis singled out Noah Lyles' performances and showmanship, writing:

"@LylesNoah it may be a tough time in your life now, but your antics and talent are why they watched your race. There are very few global superstars in this sport, and the masses benefit from the few," he added.

Noah Lyles won two medals at the Paris Olympics, the gold in the 100m and the bronze in the 200m.