On May 31st, NBC Sports’ Director of Social Media, Travis Miller, shared a post on X featuring Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone posing with a fan holding a banner that read, “I skipped prom for you Sydney!”—a clear sign of the strong support she’s been receiving during the Philadelphia leg of the Grand Slam Track series. McLaughlin-Levrone, known for dominating the long hurdles with four straight wins, had recently transitioned to the short hurdles for this contest. However, her debut in the event didn’t unfold as she had hoped. And judging by her opponent’s comments afterward, the next 24 hours on the track might be even tougher for her.

On Saturday, Ackera Nugent claimed victory in the 100m hurdles with a facility record of 12.44 (-0.4 m/s), finishing ahead of Tia Jones (12.60) and Megan Tapper (12.666). Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, in a rare step down from her usual event, placed fifth with a time of 12.70. Remarkably, this was Ackera’s debut race in the 100m hurdles, making her win over the Olympic champion all the more meaningful. The Jamaican standout was clearly thrilled with the result, but she still has more to say.

Moments after her stunning win in the 100m hurdles at Franklin Field, Ackera Nugent faced the cameras with calm confidence. When asked how it felt to beat Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, she didn’t boast — instead, she stayed grounded and focused. “I’m not really thinking about it knowing that she’s a competitor she’s going to always show up,” Ackera said. “Knowing Sydney she don’t she doesn’t like losing um but I feel like at the end of the day all I can do is just control what I can control focus on what I can focus on and I feel like knowing that she’s going to come back with that competition mindset I feel like it will push me a lot more.” 

Well, on Saturday, Ackera handed someone a defeat who has been unbeatable in her specialist event since 2019. But will she be able to repeat her success when she again meets SML on track? 

Ackera Nugent has been on a roll this season, posting impressive performances across the board. At the Kingston Grand Slam Track meet, she placed fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles on day one, then bounced back with a strong second-place finish the following day. In Miami, she kept her winning streak alive by taking the top spot. Now, she’s gearing up for another shot — this time in the 100m flat on Sunday. According to Ackera, her focus will be on her training partner, but she’ll also have a sound wave of crowd support behind her.

That support isn’t new. Six years ago, Ackera competed at the Penn Relays with Excelsior High in the high school girls’ 4x100m. Now, as a professional, she returned to the same track on Saturday, and the energy from the fans hasn’t changed. “The crowd came out like they normally do at Penn Relays,” she said. “I really like the support and everything — the one thing I don’t like is it’s very cold, but it’s a very nice track.” And as for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone accepts the defeat 

Much like Ackera Nugent, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has her own fond memories of racing at Franklin Field. Back in her high school days, she was a key part of her school’s 4x400m relay team at the Penn Relays. But fast forward to today, and the stage looked a little different — this time, she was up against a blazing Jamaican star and came away with a rare fifth-place finish. Any hard feelings? Not at all.

In fact, Sydney was thoughtful and composed as she broke down the difference between the 100m hurdles and her signature event, the 400m hurdles. “It’s just so ballistic,” she explained. You know, there’s no time to really think in the 100 hurdles. So, you know, where the 400 hurdles gives you some grace, you really have to just be on it from the start. So I think that’s what I was trying to focus on, and just my 10 hurdles. But when you have the best of the best pushing you, sometimes that doesn’t always happen that well.” It was a humble reflection from an Olympic champion still adjusting to new territory — and clearly motivated to keep pushing.