Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and the 400 meters is a love story. With an unmatched combination of speed, technique, and grace, she has redefined the event. Breaking the world record multiple times, she became the first woman to run under 52 seconds, then obliterated her own mark with an astonishing 50.68 in 2022. And now, as the two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Champion aims to switch to a shorter distance, she has caught the attention of not just the fans, but another Olympic gold medalist!

CBC Sports’ host Perdita Felicien had Aaron Brown as the guest today in the second episode, which aired on May 22, 2025.  Among many discussions, the Canadian brought out the topic of Sydney McLaughlin going to the 100-meter hurdles. He asked Felicien, “Perdita, are you in or out on Sydney dropping down to flat 100 meters and 100 meter hurdles?” While the host gave a lot of points and her support to the woman who has dominated the 400 m H, what about Aaron?

“She is the most dominant athlete we’ve ever seen in certain events in the 400-meter hurdles. You can break the world record at will. And that’s great,” said the 2024 Olympic gold medalist. Between 2021 and 2022, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the 400m hurdles world record four times — starting with 51.90 at the U.S. Trials, then 51.46 for Olympic gold in Tokyo, followed by 51.41 at the U.S. Championships, and finally a jaw-dropping 50.68 at the World Championships — the first ever under 51 seconds.

The man said, “We love seeing greatness, but over time, we want to see you mix it up. So to see a new thing, and especially, like you said, the event is red hot. It’s that’s probably the most competitive event. Every time it’s like an Olympic final with the caliber of talent.” The women’s world record stands at 12.12 seconds by Tobi Amusan (2022). At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the final was incredibly close — gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran 12.37 seconds, while the next four finishers all came in under 12.70, separated by just 0.09 seconds. 

Further considering how much of a competitive event 100 m H is, the man said, “So she, she could get some good points there in the, in the hundred meter section. And if she can mix it up in the hundred-meter hurdles, she’s got a shot at the title. We’ll see.” So, when and where are we going to see the best of 400mH in the hundred meter hurdles? 

Inside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 100m hurdle sprint

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran 12.65 seconds in the 100m hurdles on May 9, 2021, in Walnut, California, which remains her personal best. On May 4, 2024, she returned to the event at the Oxy Invitational in Los Angeles, recording 12.71 seconds. The race marked her first 100m hurdles appearance in three years and came shortly after recovering from a knee injury. Despite the time away, she finished just 0.06 seconds shy of her best, signaling a strong return to the event. Now she is going to do it again in 2025.

She is set to compete in the 100m hurdles at the upcoming Grand Slam Track (GST) meet in Philadelphia, scheduled from May 30 to June 1, 2025, at Franklin Field. This event marks her first professional appearance in the 100m hurdles. She will be part of the Women’s Short Hurdles Race Group, which includes both the 100m hurdles and the 100m flat races. Her previous GSTs have gone well, so it will be interesting to see what she does in this one. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone kicked off her Grand Slam Track (GST) journey in April 2025 at the inaugural Kingston meet, winning both the 400m hurdles and 400m flat with a perfect 24-point sweep and a $100,000 prize. She continued her dominance at the Miami GST meet in May, where she defended her titles in both events, running a world-leading 52.02 seconds in the 400m hurdles and an impressive 49.87 seconds in the 400m flat. How well do you think she will do when she takes on the racers in the 100 mH?