“I would love to go out there, challenge myself, I’d love to hopefully PR….” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was quick to declare after her Grand Slam Track Miami leg. She talked about experimenting with a totally new race group in Philadelphia, and guess what? It’s about time that zeal is put to the test. Less than a week from now, the Philly leg of the GST kicks off, and this time, Sydney’s showing up in the “short hurdles” category. While she isn’t one to shy away from a good challenge, her fans? Well, they may be a bit concerned this time. Has she been too ambitious in her pick? Or will she live up to it? Hear what the fans have to say!

Before anything, let’s lay facts on the table. The 100m flat race on May 31 will be Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s first pro race in this distance ever. Yes, the last time she touched a 100m race was in 2018, at the Knoxville, Tennessee Relays, where she ran a wind-assisted 11.07 seconds. And her 100m hurdles record? Well, she has just run two of these in the last 3 years. Although the last one she ran was exactly a year ago, in May 2024, clocking a 12.71 seconds into a headwind to come first at the Occidental Invitational. But this time? Here’s what is in store for her for the coming weekend!

May 27, the Grand Slam Track just put the word out that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is soon going to take on the 100m hurdles and the 100m flat race this weekend in Philadelphia. So, expect a larger-than-normal crowd as the American hurdler is going out of her way to test the waters. There, the 400m world record holder would be facing the pros who are already seasoned in these race categories like Ackera Nugent, Danielle Williams, Tia Jones, Ditaji Kambundji, and others.

But their presence doesn’t seem to threaten Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. If anything, it only motivates her. That’s because right after Miami, she’d referred to the women in the shirt hurdles race group and said, “Those girls are running really fast also I would love to go out there, challenge myself.” She’d even added that challenging herself in these races, “would just help me with my sprint mechanics, my hurdle technique, and just put myself in a different position than I am used to.” 

But is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has already won two Slam Championships so far, lifting both the titles in Kingston and Miami, and is unbeaten in the first spot in any race since April 2024, take a whole lot of risk this time? Recently, a track veteran also weighed on this question. And now, here’s what the fans have to say.

Track and field community interprets Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s move

Predicting the weekend results from the Grand Slam Track’s Philadelphia leg, one of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s fans said in the comment section of the post, “I see her getting 2nd-4th overall depending on her 100mh placement. If she gets first then I feel it shows how special of an athlete she is. I’m a huge believer in her but also scared of the 100mh transition 😳” Well, 300m may not seem a lot, but there’s a huge difference between a 400m hurdler and a 100m one.

Hurdle spacing is different. Although there are 10 hurdles in both races, as per European Athletics, in the 100m/110m races, most hurdlers take three strides between the hurdles, while in the 400m race, most take 13 strides between hurdles. Also, the key aspect is to quickly find their optimal speed and maintain it throughout.

Thus, one of the fans believed that this might be too tough a switch for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. They said, “She’s ran and lost 100 m hurdle races before, I don’t think her entrance means she’s secretly been training this event and going to run 12.3 or something.“ Well, Sydney did come 4th in the 100m hurdles at the USATF Grand Prix in 2021. Also, the same year, she was fifth at the USATF Golden Games in the same event. But, as we’ve seen, there have been wins too. 1st at the Antelope Invitational the same year. And 1st at the Penn Relays Carnival in the same distance in 2022.

However, beyond her statistics, it’s her coach, Bobby Kersee’s vision that some of the fans seem to be trusting. “She wouldn’t enter these races if her coach didn’t think she could compete. I’m sure it’s part of Bob Kersee’s plan to improve her 400m (hurdles and open and open) times.” Thus, some believe it’s part of a larger plan. With the World Championships only a few months away now, maybe she’s experimenting to speed up her time in her main event, the 400m hurdles. After all, her rival did something similar too. Femke Bol switched her blocked start leg to the right this year, to see if it speeds her up between the 200-300m mark.

But not all were this optimistic. Being one of the five athletes who have won both the Slam Champion titles so far, fans feel, this is the wrong event for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to be experimenting in. Because with all that money at stake, it could leave a hole in her pockets. “She sure isn’t going to be slam champion. And that means giving up a lot of money. Not sure I would make that choice. She can run a 100m or 200m anywhere else.” 

But the question is, can she really? After all, Grand Slam Track is a celebrity event. And its structure is formulated in a manner that its perfect for athletes to test themselves over multiple distances. Plus, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is still quite early in her season. So a loss would take a hit on her that bad. Yet some fans hoped that she wouldn’t injure herself in the process. “I have no expectations of her, I’m just going to enjoy and see what happens. She knows what she is capable of and bravo for giving it a shot and seeing how she gets on against those who do it more frequently. It shall be interesting and good luck to all, fingers crossed she doesn’t pull a muscle or anything from the extra explosiveness that is needed.”

What do you think? Is it really possible for her to win in Philadelphia, or are you as concerned as the rest of the fans? Let us know below!