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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Dalilah Muhammad have been old rivals in the 400m hurdles, and they squared off the most from 2019 to 2020. The two recently shared the 400m hurdles track in their signature event at the Grand Slam Track.
At the legendary Michael Johnson-hosted event, McLaughlin-Levrone unfurled her dominance on the track, winning the 400m hurdles feat in a world-leading time of 52.76s. She solidified her status as the best in the long hurdles and left former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad in second in 54.59. Though the latter's performance didn't earn her the win, it was a good start to her farewell season.
McLaughlin-Levrone followed up her winning feat with the 400m flat gold, thus winning the Slam title, whereas her fellow American finished third in 52.21. On the other hand, Muhammad's next race at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix saw her run the fastest 400m hurdles race since July 2023 and clinch the win.
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Here's a breakdown of McLaughlin-Levrone and Muhammad's head-to-head in major events.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone vs Dalilah Muhammad head-to-head
2016 Rio Olympics
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was bidding for her first Olympic spot at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She qualified to compete at the US Olympic trials alongside Muhammad and made it to the Rio stage. However, she finished fifth in the semi-final heats and ended her debut Olympic dreams.
On the other hand, Muhammad clocked 53.13s in the 400m hurdles final to take the Olympic title and became the then-second American woman to achieve so.
2019 World Champioships
The rivals went head-on with each other at the 2019 World Championships. Muhammad, who was fresh off her world record-breaking feat at the USATF Outdoor Championships, was a heavy favorite for the 400m hurdles title. She blazed through the track and touched the finish line first in 52.16s, improving her world record by 0.04s and leaving Sydney behind in 52.23s.
2021 US Olympic Trials and Tokyo Olympics
It was now time for the 21-year-old to avenge the loss. Both graced the line-up and raced, but McLaughlin-Levrone was faster, finishing in 51.90s to break Muhammad's two-year-old world record. The latter trailed in second and further faced the New Jersey native in the Tokyo Games final.
At the final in the Japanese capital, the 35-year-old failed to defend her title when her younger counterpart snatched the win by lowering her world record again. However, the rivals contributed to the US team's gold podium finish in the 4x100m relay.
2022 World Championships
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was on a winning spree, breaking record after record, but Muhammad wasn't someone to give up. At the 2022 Worlds, the 25-year-old ran sub51s and clocked 50.68s to win the 400m hurdles feat and break her own world record.
Despite her best efforts, Dalilah Muhammad faded to bronze, giving the silver place to Dutch athlete Femke Bol. McLaughlin-Levrone's personal best is 50.37s, achieved at the 2024 Paris Games, whereas Dalilah's personal best is 51.58.
At the 2024 US Olympic trials, Muhammad trailed in sixth while Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone advanced to the final with a record-breaking time.
Considering their track record and personal best times, it can be said that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, has a clear chance of repeating a winning feat at the 2025 World Championships. Since Muhammad hasn't been the fastest when racing against her, a World title in 2025 looks blurry.
