Before she made the switch to the 400m flat, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s biggest rivals were Femke Bol and Dalilah Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad is someone she surpassed in the field, breaking her world record in 2021, only to never give it up again. Instead, McLaughlin-Levrone went on to break her own WR multiple times since. As for Bol, she is one of McLaughlin-Levrone’s fiercest competitors on the track. But despite their rivalry, so dominant is McLaughlin-Levrone that neither has actually bested her in years (with Bol never having beaten her). And the secret is how she starts.

In the 400m finals of the World Athletics Championships, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was out of her block in 0.171 seconds, not the fastest of the race, but still faster than veteran Salwa Eid Naser (0.189) and Marileidy Paulino (0.183). The difference is how she launches out of the blocks: her back foot popped off cleanly, transferring force efficiently as she drove forward. She stayed low and powerful in her first steps, with arms moving in tight sync with her legs. Her metatarsal heads struck first, and a stiff, spring-loaded ankle provided a reactive push that kept her acceleration sharp and efficient.

After those initial strides, her mechanics shifted seamlessly. Her foot gradually flattened, and her torso rose into upright running form without losing momentum. Stride length increased while frequency and rhythm remained controlled, allowing her to carry forward speed smoothly and maintain technical balance throughout the transition. In races where the finest of margins can affect your placement, McLaughlin-Levrone’s solid block start is one of her many advantages.

Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone have competed against each other on three occasions. The first was at the Tokyo Olympic Games. There, McLaughlin-Levrone surpassed her world record by 51.46, claiming the gold medal while also setting a new Olympic record. Bol, in her debut Games, snatched the bronze with 52.03. Muhammad was second in 51.58. During the 2022 world championships held in Eugene, McLaughlin-Levrone won again with a new world record of 50.68, and Bol was second with 52.27. Muhammad came in third place with 53.13.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the placements remained the same. For McLaughlin-Levrone, it was gold with a world record of 50.37, and Bol took the bronze at 52.15. While Bol could not defeat the American Nation champion. Dalilah Muhammad has done that. Their competition began at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, where Muhammad won the race and McLaughlin-Levrone, in turn, was in third place. In 2017, Muhammad was the winner of the U.S. Championships, clocking in 52.64, and McLaughlin-Levrone followed closely.

In Oslo, in 2019, their head-to-head contests saw McLaughlin-Levrone reduce the margin, including a second close to Muhammad in the World Championships in Doha (52.23 to 52.16). At the 2024 US Olympic Trials, McLaughlin-Levrone was the winner in 50.65, while Muhammad placed 6th. McLaughlin-Levrone won again, defeating Muhammad in the 2025 Grand Slam in Kingston, further cementing her dominance.

Femke Bol wants to race Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone again

At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Femke Bol lined up as the defending champion and clear favorite. She delivered, running 51.54 to take gold and extend her unbeaten season. Behind her, Jasmine Jones of the U.S. produced a breakthrough, clocking 52.08 for silver, while Emma Zapletalová of Slovakia earned bronze in a national record of 53.00. Veteran Dalilah Muhammad, once the world and Olympic champion, reached the final but placed seventh in 54.82. Not the end she wanted.

Bol’s chances at the title could have been in danger had Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone been there, and yet still she said, “It was strange to see her race (the 400m), but it was amazing to see the way she raced. I most likely wouldn’t be here with the gold medal, but I really love to race her. She’s the best athlete 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 in the 400m.” Sydney broke the world record 6 times, captured everything in the 400m hurdles that she could, and then went to break the record in the 400m.

At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone delivered one of the greatest 400m performances in history. She stormed to gold in 47.78 seconds, breaking the championship record and becoming only the second woman ever to run under 48 seconds, just behind Marita Koch’s 1985 world record. Marileidy Paulino also dipped under 48, taking silver in 47.98, while Salwa Eid Naser claimed bronze in 48.19. There weren’t many people counting on Sydney to pull this off. But doubt her, and she performs.