After winning three gold medals, Gabby Thomas isn’t content to stay in the 100m and 200m lanes. She’s fixing her ambitions on another challenge for the 2026 season, the very same event that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone now runs. But behind this move, there’s a huge motivating factor for Thomas, and it might result in one of the most anticipated matches ever between McLaughlin-Levrone and Thomas.

In a recent interview on Marathon Handbook’s YouTube channel with hosts Katelyn Tocci and Alex Cyr, Thomas explained why she’s exploring the 400m.

“I’ve had success in the 400 this last season, running 49.1. Um, and yeah, so I’m like maybe maybe it’s time to just try it. And we have an off year. I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to see what I’m capable of and just having a new challenge, you know?”

Interestingly, Gabby’s last 400m run was not long ago. It was at Grand Slam Track Kingston, where she clocked 49.14s to come second. However, the 400m, quite different from the 200m (which focuses on top-end acceleration), requires a mix of speed and endurance, with longer sprints of 150-350 m, interval training, and pacing practice.

However, Gabby Thomas said she’s enjoying the transition from sprinting to middle-distance running.

“I’ve been loving the training,” she explained. “This off-season to really just like love running and have fun with it… I’ve really enjoyed this, pushing myself mentally as well as physically, cuz sprinting, I mean, it is mental, but it’s so much of it is just like hard, quick physical output, like focus. And I’ve just really enjoyed it.”

And now, the possibility of these two sprint stars facing off makes this season one to watch closely. It also leads everyone to wonder the same thing: can Gabby Thomas challenge the champion, or will Sydney still hold the crown when 2026 arrives?

The 2023 clash between Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas revisited

After years as the world-record holder in the 400m hurdles and a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone skipped the hurdles in 2025 to focus on the 400m flat. The change clearly paid off, as she broke a 19-year-old American record and won world gold with a championship record of 47.78s.

Her record-breaking run made it clear that she was serious about dominating the 400m. While currently Gabby Thomas is behind at 49.14s, the gap isn’t insurmountable, and head-to-head matchups in 2026 could change the story. But do you recall who had the edge in their last 400m face-off?

At the 2023 USATF NYC Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium, McLaughlin‑Levrone won in 49.51s, with Thomas finishing second in 50.29s. That race was one of the first official showdowns between them. But the competition between them is not limited to the 400m.

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McLaughlin-Levrone has also raced in Thomas’ primary event, the 200m. For instance, at the 2024 USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, McLaughlin-Levrone finished first in 22.07s, while Thomas placed sixth in 22.68s. Each race shows how they push each other to excel, whether it is in the 200m or the 400m, keeping the stakes high whenever they meet.

With Gabby Thomas stepping fully into the 400m and McLaughlin‑Levrone already at the top of her game, 2026 could be the year of one of the most thrilling rivalries in track history.