“Just shocking…” These words summed up Natalie Dumas‘ reaction when she found out that she’d left an Olympian’s record in the dust. And not just any Olympian, Dumas’ 400m time at the 2025 New Balance Nationals took down Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 9-year-old state record by 0.73s. But that was not all. Something more happened that day—something bigger and so epic that it has left an American legend going gaga over it. Wondering what?

Well, Natalie Dumas has been the talk of the track world since early June—and not just for breaking a record. Yes, she toppled Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s long-standing mark, but she did not stop there. At the New Balance Nationals, Dumas pulled off a historic triple, claiming victory in the 400m, the 400m hurdles, and even the 800m. Moreover, her times in each of the three events now rank in the top 10 in the history of high school racers! And this ‘historic trifecta‘ is exactly what she’s now winning praise for!

In a short video titled “Is she the NEXT track prodigy after Sydney McLaughlin?” from the recent episode of the Ready Set Go Podcast, Justin Gatlin threw his support behind Natalie. He said, “She not only is going out there on a day and just winning races, but she’s going out there and putting her name in the history books.” And he wasn’t the only one. Co-host, Rodney Green, agreed that after Dumas’ brilliant show at the NB Nationals, “I’m pretty sure colleges are all over her. She can go wherever she wants to go, even if she wants to go pro!” And really, which college wouldn’t want this kind of talent on board?

As Justin Gatlin further broke down her recent performance, he said, “Her 55.99 in the 400 hurdles sits her at high school number seven all time, 400 meters, 51.14, that sits her at eighth all time high school, and then that 800 meters, it sits her at fifth all time high school. I would love to know what her prep looked like for this, because this is a crazy trifecta, bro.” He continued, “She did the 400 hurdles, the 400 and backed up with 800. Yeah, that is a day of work for real.”

Well, Justin Gatlin’s astonishment is understandable. After all, the hurdles, the quarter mile, and the 800m distance event all require different skills: techniques, acceleration, and endurance. But here’s how Natalie said she managed it all three in a span of 2 days, in a chat with FloTrack on June 26. After the 400m hurdles, she said, “I went straight to recovering because two hours later I had another race, which was the SMR for my team.” And this wasn’t easy either. After a point, she said, “I just was like my body was dead…” But she tried legitimate recovery techniques.

Natalie Dumas said, “I did an ice bath and then I felt the pain again and it was bad but I did leg compressions and then I woke up the next morning I was like my legs are sore for the 800, but let me just go out there and see what I can do.” Well, what she did was win the 800! That’s how she put her name on the map way beyond breaking Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s state record. And now, Justin Gatlin is applauding her for the same.

In fact, it’s not just Natalie. There’s another youngster that Gatlin is keeping an eye out for, as she registered a historic feat against Sydney, too!

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone needs to watch her back

It’s not just Natalie Dumas. A little earlier in June, an NCAA phenom named Savannah Sutherland clocked 52.46s in the 400m hurdles final at the 2025 NCAA Championships. In the process, she broke Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s NCAA record, which was 52.75 seconds, set back in 2018, after 7 years!

Gushing over this, Justin Gatlin had said on an older episode of his podcast that, “When this lady was gone, this young lady was gone she made a 52.46.” He emphasized how she made her final NCAA race count, having said, “‘This is my last of my weather uniform, I want to do it with pride.'”

Justin Gatlin pointed out that, “One hurdle that she definitely could have fixed, probably hurdle 9 everything else was very linear.” But, there’s something that really impressed him about her performance, too. “She had no wasted race movement… she was stepping down and getting back to the track.” Clearly, Gatlin hinted that she had great potential and, with some minor fixes, she could do really well in the sport. And now, he has applauded Natalie similarly! Do you think these youngsters can continue taking down the masters? Let us know below!