As we got closer to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Dutch hurdler Femke Bol shared her feelings about not being able to compete against her top rival, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, in the 400m hurdles. She mentioned it felt like “a bit of a disappointment” and “a shame,” especially since Sydney had been so dominant in that event before making the switch to the flat 400m this season.

Bol, who has faced McLaughlin-Levrone on some of the biggest stages, like the Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Eugene World Championships, and the Paris Olympics, shared, “It’s always unique to compete against her. I love it, even though there’s a very good chance I’ll finish second,” which sets the scene for her heartfelt thoughts after the championship. Since McLaughlin-Levrone decided to concentrate on the 400m flat, Bol found a clear path to the 400m hurdles gold and took advantage of it with an impressive performance. She nailed her world title defense with an impressive time of 51.54 seconds, showcasing a dominant performance that might have left her with a hint of what could have been.

This win was her second world title in a row for the event, and it put her on par with Sifan Hassan as the most decorated Dutch athlete in World Championships history. Still, you could feel the gap left by the sport’s biggest star not being in the race, and Bol made sure to talk about it right after her big win. In an interesting post-race footage captured by Citius Mag and shared by Chris Chavez on X, Bol was asked how she felt about McLaughlin-Levrone not being in the competition.

“It’s strange because I’m used to she’s there when we are in a big tournament throughout the season I almost never see her, so that’s not really strange, but it was strange to see her race yesterday night but it was amazing to see the way that she raced,” Bol said. This comment captured the strange feeling of seeing her main rival shine in another event on the same stage, recognizing just how impressive McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400m win in 47.78 seconds was the night before.

When asked if she would have rather gone up against McLaughlin-Levrone in the world final, Bol’s response showed a great deal of respect. “Yeah, I mean, I most likely wouldn’t be here with gold medal, but I really love to race to ever do it in my event, so I would have loved to do it, but I also love to see her do so well on the 400 meter and show her capacities on this one,” said the Dutch athlete.

Ultimately, Bol’s powerful comments are more than just post-race politeness; they are a testament to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s otherworldly impact on the sport. However, did you know that McLaughlin-Levrone is getting close to a record set by the Jamaican legend Usain Bolt?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is getting into the big leagues

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone snagged the gold medal in the 400m at Tokyo, and now she’s got three global individual Championships Records under her belt. Those are the highest scores set at the Olympics or World Championships! Her world and Olympic records for the 400-meter hurdles stand at 50.37 seconds, which was set during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then there’s the world championship record for the same event at 50.68 seconds, established at the 2022 Eugene. And let’s not forget the fresh record for the 400-meter dash, clocking in at 47.78 seconds, achieved in Tokyo.

Pretty amazing, right? This achievement places her in a unique circle, with just two athletes in history having more records: Usain Bolt and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, each of whom holds four. At the 2009 Berlin Worlds, the Jamaican clocked 9.58 seconds for the 100-meter and 19.19 seconds for the 200-meter, respectively. At the 2012 London Olympics, he ran a 9.63-second 100-meter and a 36.84-second 4×100-meter relay, which he also holds as his four championship records.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is also pretty amazing, holding four Olympic records! She set one for the long jump at 7.40 meters during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and then there’s her heptathlon record of 7,044 points from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Oh, and let’s not forget her world record in the heptathlon with 7,291 points, also from the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s journey into this elite trio showcases her incredible versatility and strength across a variety of events. She knows how to break records in both the hurdles and the flat 400-meter, showcasing her skills and versatility as an athlete. And all of these stats just make her prospect for the LA Olympics more interesting!