Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently expressed surprise after being treated with waffles at the 2024 Brussels Diamond League finals. In the final meeting of the 2024 Diamond League season, McLaughlin-Levrone competed in both 400m and 200m invitational events following her remarkable Paris Olympics campaign.
McLaughlin-Levrone had a remarkable campaign at the Paris Olympics, where she successfully defended her title in the women’s 400m hurdles with a world record performance and contributed to the USA team’s victory in the women’s 4x400m relay event.
Competing in her non-regular events at the Brussels Diamond League, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once again demonstrated why she is regarded as one of the world’s best sprinters, as she won both the women’s 400m and 200m Invitational races. On September 13, she cruised to victory in the 400m race with an impressive time of 49.11 seconds, much ahead of Jamaica’s Stacey-Ann Williams, who finished second with 50.53 seconds.
A day later, McLaughlin-Levrone ran the 200m Invitational where she recorded a time of 22.40s to comfortably win the race ahead of the three-time African Games gold medalist Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye, who finished the race in a time of 23.01s.
Following her impressive win in the 200m Invitational race on Saturday, the organizers treated Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to freshly baked waffles and desserts, a moment which was captured and shared by Allianz Memorial Van Damme on their Instagram account. The American athlete was surprised to see the waffles but thanked the organizers. Watch the video of her enjoying the waffles here.
Although initially ineligible to compete at the Diamond League final due to the meet’s rules, the organizers of the Brussels Diamond League (Van Damme Memorial) announced the inclusion of special Invitational races in the 200m and 400m events. The move was made to honor the four-time Olympic champion for her outstanding achievements.
Before Brussels Diamond League, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone last raced in Paris Diamond League in 2023
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, known for making rare appearances on the Diamond League circuit, last raced in a Diamond League race at the 2023 Meeting de Paris (Paris Diamond League) before her recent appearance at the 2024 Brussels Diamond League Finals.
There, she finished second in the 400m race with a time of 49.71s, only behind the now Paris Olympics gold medalist Marileidy Paulino (49.12s).
Notably, McLaughlin-Levrone won the Diamond League title once in her career in 2019 in the 400m hurdles, as she won in Zurich in 52.85 seconds. Zurich hosted the first half of the final that year, with Brussels hosting the second.