Has Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone decided to play a last-minute gamble? Well, almost ten days from now, the USATF Outdoor Championships 2025 will kick off at Hayward Field. And everyone’s expecting the American hurdling queen to show up in the 400m hurdles. The 400m hurdles could be her ticket to the World Championships in September, but her spot on Team USA isn’t locked in yet. With time running out, it looks like Sydney might be risking it all…

Remember the 2023 World Championships in Budapest? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had to scratch out of the competition due to a minor knee issue so that she could be fully healthy before the Paris Olympics. In her absence, Femke Bol dominated, taking gold in 51.70 seconds, finally free of the one rival who always kept her from the top spot. Yes, whenever Sydney was in the race, be it Tokyo 2021 or Eugene 2022, Bol could only settle for bronze and silver. So, will the Budapest history repeat in 2025? Will Bol cruise to another easy title? After all, a major twist is now threatening the McLaughlin-Levrone vs. Bol rivalry that the world has been waiting to see.

The drama began brewing after fans took a closer look at the USATF Outdoor Championships entry list. As of July 21, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s name is missing from the 400m hurdles — the very event that could determine her World Championships fate. Instead, she’s listed in the 400m flat, where 21 athletes are currently entered. McLaughlin-Levrone, with a season best of 49.43, is among them. But the 400m hurdles? Still no sign of her. The silver-lining? The entries close on the night of July 22, so Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has a last day to think and enter herself into the event. But looks like she has stretched it to the last minute and might be taking a huge risk….

Well, Track and Field Analyst Kemal posted on X trying to decode this situation. Calling Sydney’s entry in just one event a “mystery.“ He said, “It could be a situation in which she is using USAs as a mechanism to improve her flat speed. Then goes on to the Diamond League circuit and gets the 400mH Wildcard for the Tokyo World Championship.” Now many are wondering if that’s even possible. Well, a wildcard into the World Championships is only possible for the 2023 World Champions and the 2025 Diamond League Champions. Considering that the first condition doesn’t apply to Sydney, Kemal notes that she might be taking the latter route. But well, that’s truly like walking on thin ice.

Because there’s still plenty of uncertainty around how these wildcard qualifications will play out, it’s worth noting that the 2025 Diamond League Final is scheduled for August 27–28 in Zurich. Whereas, the window for achieving the World Championships qualification closes on August 24. So that’s like entering a grey area. Although the positive aspect is that a wildcard and the national championships are not the only way of reaching the Worlds. Some athletes may have already achieved the standards or have high enough World Rankings from other competitions to be eligible. As for Sydney, she has already run under the 54.65s qualifying mark for the 400m hurdles twice this year and is the #2 ranked woman in the world in that event. 

This certainly reminds us of a pattern we have seen in 2023. After running in just the 400m flat at the US Championships in 2023, Sydney had declared that she has decided not to compete in the hurdles, instead to provide a fresh perspective to witness her brilliance in the flat 400 meters. Her coach had said, “The double does not allow us, I think, the proper amount of time and recovery to do both, and I think the bigger challenge would obviously be to see how we can do in the 400.” Eventually, she ended up withdrawing for this too, due to injury. Once again this year, the same pattern is coming through as of now, with Sydney only entered in the 400m flat at the U.S. Champs as of now. Is this because of the same reason as in 2023? Or what could be the possible reasons?

What could be wrong with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone?

The first and most obvious reason around this decision could be her health. Given the fact that she just pulled out of the Ed Murphey classic due to the same concerns. She was slated to run in the 400m flat once again, but she said, “I’m disappointed to have to withdraw from the Ed Murphey Classic. I was eager to get on the line, compete in front of the amazing Memphis fans, and make a real statement as we head toward the heart of the season. I’ve been training hard and was ready to go, which makes this all the more frustrating. Thank you to the meet organizers for all they do to elevate our sport, and to the fans for always showing love. Wishing all the athletes the best—I’ll be watching and cheering you on from home,” said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.”

It’s been difficult for both Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and her fans to digest the fact that she had to walk out. And should this continue at the Worlds too, it’ll be yet another blow for her followers. What do you think? Will she show up or will the famous Femke Bol vs Sydney showdown be called off? Let us know your predictions below!