Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dethroned Maridno Paulino to become the new 400m World Champion, in the second fastest time ever recorded in the 400m: 47.78s. But before that, she was ruling the 400m hurdles, locked in stiff competition with the Netherlands’ Femke Bol, who was never far behind. Although Bol was unable to surpass McLaughlin-Levrone in their 3 meetings, the reigning 400mH world champion is one of the best to do it from Europe. But fans who were hoping to see the two resume their rivalry in Los Angeles are in for disappointment, because the 400m hurdles world champion has now switched to the 800m.

“BREAKING NEWS: With three years to go until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, reigning 400m hurdles World champion 🇳🇱 Femke Bol has announced she’ll shift her focus to the 800 meters starting in 2026,” wrote Citius Mag on X, announcing the news that Bol has officially switched gears to the 800 flat ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics. Now the big question looms in the air: how is it going to affect McLaughlin-Levrone’s plans for the 2028 Olympics? Only time will tell.

Recently, the 400m World Champion posted a video on her Instagram story where one could see her doing a heavy workout. The video had RoriDunk, a track and field journalist, wondering, “Is she back training for the 25/26 season? 👀Will we see her in the 400m again? Will she go back to the hurdles? Or something new!“. Based on the clip, fans expressed hope for McLaughlin-Levrone to also race the 800m, with one commenter writing, “I desperately need to see her in an 800m.”

The only comments McLaughlin-Levrone made on LA were, “We will need to talk about the schedule for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Maybe I could do both 400m and 400m hurdles?” This could make things interesting, because say if Bol decides to go for the 400m hurdles at the LA Olympics, we could see new life breathed into the old rivalry.

That said, McLaughlin-Levrone has not lost a race to Femke Bol. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone won 400m hurdles gold in 51.46, with Bol third in 52.03. She broke the world record at the 2022 World Championships (50.68) and again at the 2024 Paris Olympics (50.37), with Bol taking bronze each time. On top of that, she has not lost a 400m hurdle race since 2019.

And if in case you are unaware, the top three fastest times (50.37, 50.65, and 50.68) ever recorded in the women’s four hundred meter hurdles belong to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. But before the LA Olympics, there is the 2027 World Athletics Championships to be held in Beijing, China. That could be the taster for LA . Although a question may remain, why did Bol choose to switch over to the 800m?

Femke Bol opens up about her 800m switch

Femke Bol’s 800m move might shock many considering she was crowned the hurdles world champion just a few short weeks ago. There’s also the fact that Bol is currently the undisputed number one in hurdles after  Dalilah Muhammad hung up the spikes, and McLaughlin-Levrone switched events.

If McLaughlin-Levrone were to continue skipping the 40mH, then Bol could have had a golden opportunity to three-peat her world title and maybe even win Olympic gold. So why the 800m and why now?

“The 400m hurdles has given me unforgettable memories and shaped me into the athlete I am today. But I am driven by the need to push my boundaries,” explained Bol of her decision. Aside from her two Olympic bronze medals, Femke Bol won World Championship gold in 2023 (51.70s) and 2025 (51.41s), European gold in 2022 (52.16s) and 2024 (51.89s), and set a European record of 50.95s in 2024, becoming the second woman ever under 51 seconds in the 400m hurdles.

That is the legacy she has had in the 400m hurdles, but she wants the challenge now. “The 800m is a completely new challenge — one that excites me because it will require fresh strengths, strategies, and resilience. My ambition is not just to compete but also to reach and be successful at the highest level,” she said.

Well, she would face new challenges here, other than the Bol-McLaughlin rivalry; we might see Bol go against 2020 Olympic silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson, 2025 World Champion Lilian Odira, and others. But one thing is for sure and that is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol are daring athletes, always pushing the envelope.