Yesterday, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recorded great timing in the women’s 400m event, beating the Olympics 400m winner M. Paulino (who clocked at 48.17s in the Paris Olympics) by 0.34 seconds. However, the tags of their event were different—the former had been a part of the unofficial race, whereas the latter one competed in the Brussels Diamond League final. Today, she attempted the same blistering performance in the women’s 200m contest. The result has been the same—the top podium with a 22.40s finish. But in the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meet, both her performances will not go under the official tag. She knew that fact beforehand. Still, she participated in both days. Additionally, she had a cramp yesterday. 

And that couldn’t keep her from entering the 200m race today at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. So what’s motivating her to go beyond her ability? As per Sydney, it is the unwavering love for the track and field. And for this reason, she will head to a special league next season. 

Today after her 200m performance, in the mixed zone, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone showed up to narrate her things. Meanwhile, she took no time to reveal her plan for the upcoming season. On that matter, she looked excited to participate in the Grand Slam Track, scheduled for next year. She shared, “I think it’ll be fun, honestly, being able to do two events and kind of just challenge yourself.” Notably, SML is the first athlete to sign up for Michael Johnson’s ambitious track project. 

As of now, Sydney is expected to enter two individual events in the Grand Slam Track. Among those, the first one would be her trademark event—the women’s 400m hurdles event. The 400m flat event will follow as the next option. So as the schedule dictates, the two-time Olympic champion would have to show up on the track in four slams. Meanwhile, one of those slams is set to be hosted in Los Angeles, her hometown. Such a coincidental arrangement made the 25-year-old eagerly wait for the GST. 

Now, also add the revolutionizing the sports section to the factors. The mixture of these elements has worked like a magnet to attract McLaughlin-Levrone toward GST. Today, while revealing her plan knitted around GST, she said, “I think it’s just gonna be really cool to see that dynamic and see the sport grow in popularity.” 

Now Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone feels ‘excited’ thinking about GST, the venue of Los Angeles, and her role in making track sports great again. Still, what is her personal gain from all of these? A large purse or a satisfaction to perform in front of the local supporters? Well, McLaughlin-Levrone has already spoken on this matter before. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone chases the throne in her events 

This year, in the Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set a new world record in the women’s 400m hurdles event. It was the sixth time she upset the record book in the event. However, in the 400m event, she fell short of setting a similar achievement—the American record in the women’s 400m event. 

In July last year, she came closer to uprooting Sanya Richard-Ross’ US record in the 400m event. But a 0.04-second gap between the timings raised the mountain between her and the record. Now, in the Grand Slam Track, Sydney will get four chances to break that milestone. That will increase her probability of hitting the bull’s eye. Ultimately, the former world champion drew the curtain on this aspect as well. 

Before the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meets, Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone conceded, “My goal is to improve my personal records.” That mindset would need her to be listed in more and more such events. From that perspective, Sydney’s decision to enter the Grand Slam Track feels apt.