"There's no animosity or hard feelings"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about defeating Dalilah Muhammad after setting the World record

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about her relationship with former Olympic gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad after she defeated her at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene. The American athlete shattered the world record that was previously set by Muhammad with a performance of 51.90s to book her berth for her second consecutive Olympic appearance.

McLaughlin-Levrone made steady improvements in her performance ever since her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old at the Rio Olympics where she could not qualify for the finals after finishing fifth in the semi-finals. In the next three years, she emerged as one of the top American athletes to compete in the women's 400m hurdles.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lost to Dalilah Muhammad at the World Athletics Championships in 2019 by a small margin where the latter broke the world record with a performance of 52.16s. Two years, later McLaughlin-Levrone defeated Dalilah Muhammad to win the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

The American athlete spoke about her relationship with Muhammad and revealed how running in a highly competitive line-up motivated her to push her limits. Moreover, she shed light on their rivalry amid very close head-to-head battles on the track.

"I think great competition always pushes you. It helps to have such an amazing camp of women in the U.S. to get those times. With my training, we were able to put one together. I'm excited for what the future holds," she said.

"Iron sharpens iron. There's no animosity or hard feelings. We have to have each other to have these world records. It's an honor. So many amazing women have come before me and will come after me. The glory isn't forever," she added.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the change that led her to break the World record

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after winning the gold medal at the Wanda Diamond League 2024 Final - Allianz Memorial Van Damme Brussels - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about the difference in her preparation and approach that led her to break the world record at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. The American athlete credited her faith for helping her glide through tough situations during training and competition.

"Dalilah is a great competitor but I think I was growing into my own person and I think the biggest difference this year is my faith, trusting God and trusting that process and knowing that he's in control of everything and as long as I put the hard work in, he's gonna carry me through and I really cannot do anything more but give the glory to him," she said.

Furthermore, McLaughlin-Levrone revealed that she had put in a lot of work during training sessions to achieve this career milestone and put her complete faith in God as she stepped on the track in a quest to qualify for her second consecutive Olympic games.