Why does Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's participation in Diamond League Final raise questions regarding the event's rules?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of USA is well known for her record-breaking spree in the women's 400m hurdles, especially at the Paris Olympics 2024, where she won two consecutive Olympic gold medals, including the 400m hurdles, where she broke her world record.

However, her upcoming participation in the Diamond League finals has raised a few eyebrows owing to her absence for the entire season. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will compete in the women's 400m hurdles event at the Diamond League finals. The finals will be organized in Brussels on September 13 and 14.

According to the rules laid down by World Athletics for the Diamond League, there is a provision for global wild cards at the Diamond League. However, the athlete has to have participated in at least one diamond league meet during the season to receive this wild card.

A social media user speculated on the situation on his X (formerly Twitter) account and wrote,

"...Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hasn't competed at a DL meet this season, therefore not fulfilling the criteria for a global wildcard or having enough points to automatically qualify. So either the rules have changed and we haven't been informed, or they're bending the rules for certain athletes," the user posted.

Former Olympic champion Carl Lewis came to Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone's defense. Citing his example, Lewis claimed that such incidents have happened before, and there is nothing to be surprised about. He wrote,

"They did it for me numerous times. It's been happening for years, and It has always been a great idea. Get the best athletes to race, any way you can," Carl Lewis wrote.

Even if the athlete doesn't have adequate points for automatic qualification, they can qualify for the Diamond League final, provided they have at least competed in one leg of the Diamond League season, or have the current world record or an Olympic title. One can also qualify for the Diamond League finals through the national quota, provided the host country finds the athlete meeting the requirements.

While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the current world record holder and the reigning Olympic champion, she hasn't taken part in any race under the 2024 Wanda Diamond League, which stirred speculation about her qualification for the Diamond League finals.

Even if she participates in the Diamond League finals and wins the race, Levrone won't be getting the complete prize money, although she will have the title and the Diamond League trophy to her name.

---

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's performances at the Diamond League

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competing at the women's 400m hurdles event in the Oslo leg of the 2019 Diamond League [Image Source: Getty]

Contrary to her consistency at the World Championships and the Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has participated just once at the Wanda Diamond League in 2019. However, according to former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone only participates in races when she feels that her records are being challenged.

In 2019, the Diamond League Finals were split into two halves. One was held in Zurich in late August, and the other half in Brussels by mid-September. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's 400m hurdles came under the first half of the Diamond League finals. She had participated in the Oslo Diamond League and the Monaco leg of the Diamond League to qualify for the finals at Zurich, Switzerland.

At that time, the world record holder for this event was her compatriot, Dalilah Muhammad, who had clocked 52.20 seconds at an athletic meet in Des Moines held in July 2019. Dalilah Muhammad was also the reigning Olympic champion at that time, having won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

However, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone surprised everyone with her performance. She won the race with a timing of 52.85 seconds, just 0.65 seconds short of the world record. Shamier Little stood second with a timing of 53.86 seconds and Dalilah Muhammad stood third with an overall timing of 54.13 seconds.

This was the beginning of the rise of the phenomenon that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is today. Since 2019, the reigning Olympic champion hasn't lost a single race in the women's 400m hurdles event.