"Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is always great competition" - Paris Olympics medalist Shamier Little on signing up for Grand Slam Track

Shamier Little, the 400m hurdles specialist, was relieved after joining the likes of fellow hurdler and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the Grand Slam Track roster. Both were part of the 4x400m relay squad that won the coveted gold at the 2024 Paris Games.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone and Shamier Little shared the 400m hurdles track at the 2014 National Junior Championships, where the former finished behind Little but clocked the National high school freshman record time of 55.63. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, they were members of the 4x400m relay squad, taking victory in an American record time of 3:15.27. The Illinois native ran the third leg and handed over the baton to McLaughlin-Levrone to anchor the team to the top spot. The latter's split time of 48.60 was a whole second faster than her teammates.

The 25-year-old joined Michael Johnson's brainchild, the Grand Slam Track League as the first Racer. In October 2024, the League signed her Olympic 4x400m relay teammate Shamier Little, alongside Jasmine Jones and Russell Clayton.

In an exclusive interview with CITIUS Mag published on October 22, Little noted that while the Grand Slam Track is yet to reveal the complete list of the athletes, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's presence would elevate the competitive level.

"They haven't announced all the other athletes, but of course there’s Syd and she’s always great competition. I'm looking forward to that and I'm looking forward to the venues they're going to be at… It's going to be something really fun and I'm excited to take part," Little said.

Shamier picked head-to-head competition when asked about what intrigues her the most, the head-on competition or just running fast.

"I get excited about the head-to-heads because I know that it’s always going to bring the best out of us. I really do love competing and I love going against the best. I love training against the best," she said.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on signing with Grand Slam Track - "Going to be really cool to see the sport grow in popularity"

Gabby Thomas after winning the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games Paris 2024; (Source: Getty)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not allowed to compete in the Brussels finals since she didn't race any Diamond League races the entire season. However, she competed in two invitational races, the 200m and 400m, and won both in stellar times. In a post-race interview on September 14, the 400m hurdles world record holder expressed excitement over competing in the Grand Slam Track and witnessing the growth of her sport.

"I think it'll be fun. Honestly, being able to do two events and kind of just challenge yourself also using some of those as training blocks, I think it's just going to be really cool to see that dynamic and see the sport grow in popularity. So, I'm excited to be a part of that in any way," she said. (1:38 onwards)

The Grand Slam Track will host four Slams, with the athletes allowed to take part in any two events in each Slam. The winner of each event will receive $100,000.