Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and records are a never-ending love story. Six times…six times she has broken the world record in the 400mH, and then she shifted her focus to get her hands on the American record in the 400m flat. Sanya Richards-Ross holds the U.S. women’s outdoor 400m record with 48.70s, set at the 2006 World Championships in Athens. Levrone had almost touched it back in the 2023 U.S. Championships in Eugene; she clocked 48.74 s, earning the second‑fastest performance ever by an American. And now? Well…

Today, when Sydney lined up on the 400m track in Eugene, there was a hope among the fans that she might break the American record today, and oh boy, she almost did. “It is almost Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as she stretches out her lead and will stretch towards the line and try to get under 48 seconds, 49 seconds again, and does so and wins the national title,” announced the commentator, and just like that, she was the new national champion in the 400m with a time of  48.90. This is the third-fastest in the world this season and 0.2s away from the American record. Though she has made a decision that will hurt the 400mH fans, it will also be the best gift for Dalilah Muhammad.

The Olympic gold medalist in 400mH has confessed that she won’t be racing in the 400mH at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in mid-September in Tokyo. “We’ll focus just on the 400” in Tokyo, she said in an interview after winning the National title. “It’s a very daunting task in and of itself. It’s a very competitive field. I respect those competitors for sure, and I want to make sure I can give my all to those races.” While yes, it will be different to see a 400mH without her, this could be the best retirement gift she could have given to Dalilah Muhammad.

Before Sydney McLaughlin‑Levrone established herself as the face of women’s 400 m hurdles, Dalilah Muhammad was the dominant figure in the event for the United States and globally. In 2016, at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Muhammad charged across the finish line in 53.13 seconds, seizing the gold medal in the women’s 400 m hurdles final. That historic victory made her the first American woman ever to win Olympic gold in this event.

Yuliya Pechonkina’s women’s 400 m hurdles world record stood at 52.34 seconds for 16 years before she broke it in 2019, running 52.20 at the U.S. Championships and improving it to 52.16 at the Doha World Championships. Now that she is running her retirement season, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stepping out of the 2025 Worlds opens up the gate for Dalilah Muhammad to go claim the gold in it. But Femke Bol stands.

2025 World Athletics Championships: Femke Bol vs Dalilah Muhammad in 400mH

Dalilah Muhammad’s greatest rival to her fairytale ending would be Femke Bol. Let’s start with their personal bests. Bol clocked 50.95s back in 2024 at the Continental Tour meet in La Chaux‑de‑Fonds, Switzerland, improving the European hurdles record and becoming the second‑fastest woman ever in the discipline. Muhammad clocked 51.58 back in 2021, at the Tokyo Olympic Games final, where she earned silver. This is the third fastest time in the discipline.

Now, head-to-head, the Dutch have the advantage here. At the Tokyo Olympics, Dalilah was 2nd with a time of 51.58s, while Bol won the bronze in 52.03s. After that, things have been reversed. In the 2022 World Championships, the Dutch claimed victory ahead of their American rival. She claimed silver in 5237s while the veteran took bronze in 53.13s. In the 2025 Diamond League meets, Femke Bol dominated both outings against Dalilah Muhammad.

In Stockholm, Bol pulled away after the eighth hurdle to win in a meet record 52.11 s, while Muhammad finished second in 52.91 s, her fastest time since 2021. In Monaco, Bol clocked a world-leading 51.95 s, with Muhammad again taking second in 52.58 s, setting a new Masters (35+) world record. It is going to be the 2019 World Champion vs the 2023 World Champion in Tokyo. Who do you think will win?