Justin Gatlin reacts to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's tribute to former Olympic champion and teammate Dalilah Muhammad

Former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin recently reacted to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's glowing tribute to fellow teammate and former Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad. Muhammad was the former world record holder in women's 400m hurdles, before McLaughlin-Levrone took over.

The 35-year-old athlete recently announced in a press meet that 2025 would be her final season as a track and field athlete. McLaughlin-Levrone, who was also present at the press meet, congratulated Muhammad for her impressive career, and thanked her for inspiring athletes like her to achieve their goals.

Gatlin shared the video on his Instagram story, as he dropped a three-word reaction,

"This is respect"

Screengrab of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's tribute to Dalilah Muhammad [Image Source : Justin Gatlin's Instagram]

Dalilah Muhammad stormed into the limelight when she won the Olympic gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She broke the 16-year-old record of 52.20 seconds at the World Championships 2019. Rio Olympics was also the debut for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, though she couldn't progress beyond the semifinals.

However, by 2021, McLaughlin-Levrone caught up, and she not only broke the world record, but also outpaced Muhammad to win the Olympic gold medal in her second attempt, at the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone talks about her less frequent appearances in track and field

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone talks about her less frequent appearances on track and field [Image Source : Getty]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is one of the most prolific female track and field athletes of modern times. However, some are not impressed with her less frequent appearances.

The 25-year-old OIympic champion addressed these concerns in her recent interview with Citius Magazine, ahead of her appearance at the inaugural meet of the Grand Slam Track.

“I do race and there's athletes who race even less than I do. I think the reality is, (while) I appreciate the sport for wanting me to be in the spotlight, but at the same time as an athlete, for my mental health, for my physical health, I have to make decisions that people are not going to be okay with. And I have to be okay with that,” said McLaughlin-Levrone.

The hurdler further added that if she appeared more frequently, she might not be able to deliver her best. In her words,

“I love being able to put the sport on display. I try to give the best performances I can whenever I step on the track, but you can't run a world record every time. My body can't do that, my mind can't do that. So I can run more races, (and) then people are going to be upset with me because they're not fast times. I have to live with that and that's okay."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will commence her 2025 season by competing at the prestigious Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston, Jamaica. McLaughlin-Levrone was one of the first athletes to sign up for this meet, which was conceptualized by sprinting legend Michael Johnson.