Well, after Jamaica, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has done it again! The reigning queen of the long hurdles stormed into Miami for the second leg of the Grand Slam Track series and left with another title sweep. Despite a not-so-perfect run in the 400m hurdles, which had some technical glitches over the ten barriers, she powered home with a world-leading 52.07. That alone was impressive. But a day later, she came back for the flat 400m and ran away with it in a blazing 49.69. Two events. Two golds. Another $100,000. And she made it look easy. While Miami is done! You may ask, what is next for Sydney?

Well, after owning Miami, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is ditching comfort for challenge. Sydney is eyeing a return to the short hurdles in the third leg of the Grand Slam Track in Philly, something she hasn’t attempted since 2024.“As of right now, I think we might go to the short hurdles,” she told Sanya Richards-Ross after her double win in Miami. “Switch it up, yeah, test myself, work on some hurdle technique, work on some sprint speed.”

That “switch” isn’t minor. The 400m hurdles and the 100m hurdles may both involve barriers, but that’s where the similarity ends. In the 400 mh, the hurdles are spaced farther apart. Athletes need to manage fatigue, vary stride patterns, and often switch lead legs mid-race. It’s about rhythm, endurance, and strategic adjustment. The 100mh? It’s a high-speed sprint from the gun. Hurdles come every 8.5 meters after the first hurdle, which is placed 13 meters apart, and it demands explosive block starts, a consistent lead leg, rapid-fire clearance, and mistake-free technique. One mistimed hurdle, and it’s over.

Training changes drastically, too. The 400mh builds around aerobic endurance and stride length. The 100mh requires compact, explosive strides, lightning-fast acceleration, and hours of block-start drills. And with that comes greater injury risk. The shorter race will demand a different set of training, and with the World Championships later this year, one injury could derail everything she’s built this season

Still, Sydney isn’t backing off. “See if I can get out of the blocks; I don’t know,” she laughed. But even she knows this will be a different beast. And it might not be a quiet return either. Masai Russell, fresh off a 12.17 American record, is likely to line up at Franklin Field too.

How many times has Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competed in the 100-meter hurdles?

According to World Athletics data, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has competed in the 100m hurdles at least 15 times, with her journey tracing all the way back to her high school days. Early on, she wasn’t just dabbling but she was dominating.

In 2014, as a 14-year-old prodigy, Sydney ran the 100m hurdles multiple times within just a few weeks, consistently finishing first in heats and finals at state-level meets in New Jersey. Her best that year, 13.34 seconds, clearly showed that she was already one of the most technically gifted young hurdlers in the country. She ran eight 100m hurdles races that season alone, clearly showing hunger, fitness, and a work ethic beyond her age.

However, as her career progressed, her appearances in the 100m hurdles became less frequent. After a long gap, she returned to the event in 2021, racing five times between April and May. But that short burst also tells a different story: while she posted an impressive wind-aided 12.65s, she didn’t return to the event again until 2022 and only sporadically thereafter.

It’s a clear sign that the 100m hurdles have never been her main focus—more of a tune-up than a target. In fact, in most championship years, she hasn’t raced it at all. Her last race 100mh race was in LA in the Occidental Invitational, where she clocked 12.71.