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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and the art of toying with her opponents
It’s rather fitting that the very first athlete to sign up to Grand Slam Track (GST)– Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (SML) is perhaps the most versatile of sprinters that have ever competed in the history of the sport. If you find it difficult to understand the core of what GST is all about, then look no further than what McLaughlin-Levrone stands for.
The quiet looking assassin killer epitomises what racing is all about and she does it really well. Once again it was on show at the Kingston Leg of GST. Not that we ever doubted how good she was as an athlete, considering how she nitpicks the races she runs at, but her performance gave us the inclination that she’s one of the few athletes that can truly compete in variable conditions. That’s a good thing for our sport and most importantly, GST.
In Kingston though, SML proved how much daylight there is between her and her competitions. She doesn’t so much race her competition as she removes them from the conversation. There’s a calmness to how she runs, a quiet detachment that makes even a $100,000 payday look like just another day’s work.
She reminded the track world of this truth once again. On the third day, the Olympic and World Champion won the women’s 400m flat in 50.32 seconds, beating Andrenette Knight and Dalilah Muhammad by wide margins. On Day 1, she opened her season in the 400m hurdles with a world-leading 52.76. That win too came with ease, and her stride down the homestretch was smooth, almost bored. Muhammad, a former Olympic champion herself, clocked 54.59 in second.
“It was about being technical, feeling things out,” McLaughlin-Levrone said after the hurdles race. “Just seeing where each stride pattern took me.” That quote—practical, almost indifferent captures a major part of her approach. She doesn’t need fireworks. She needs control.
At just 25, SML has spent the last few years making world-class hurdlers look ordinary. In doing so, she’s changed the expectations around her events. But as good as she is at 400 meters with barriers, there’s growing anticipation about what she can do without them.
It’s why her 400m win in Kingston came with a side of frustration. Not for her, but for those who wanted to see something more competitive. The Grand Slam Track series has done a commendable job signing the top names in the 400m—Marileidy Paulino, Salwa Eid Naser, Gabby Thomas, and of course, SML herself. But in Kingston, those stars didn’t line up together. Paulino, Naser, and Thomas raced in the long sprints group on Saturday night. McLaughlin-Levrone, on the other hand, was put in the long hurdles group the next day. The result was a lopsided affair that did little for track fans or McLaughlin-Levrone’s competitive spirit.
“You watch that, and I would love to see where I fare up in that,” she said, referring to the Saturday race. “It was a fast race. The best of the best were in that race. It really excited me.”
It’s the closest SML comes to showing envy. More than anything, it sounds like she’s getting restless.
Track athletes can spend entire seasons chasing the right race against the right people at the right time. But when you’re coached by Bobby Kersee, a man known for caution and long-term planning, there’s no rushing to any moment.
Her tentative plan is to do the 400m/400m hurdles double again in Miramar, then test herself in the 100m and 100m hurdles at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. But the real date circled on her calendar is the final Grand Slam Track meet in Los Angeles. That’s where she’s expected to line up against Naser and Paulino in either the 200m or 400m—or maybe both.
That’s still 12 weeks away. But even with that runway, McLaughlin-Levrone’s team will make no promises. She doesn’t race unless she’s fully prepared. That patience might frustrate some fans, but it’s also part of what makes her so good. She shows up when it matters, and when she does, she makes sure everyone else wishes they hadn’t.
The Los Angeles meet offers something else too: home. It will take place not far from where McLaughlin-Levrone lives and trains. For a runner whose public appearances are scarce and whose social media is largely polished and quiet, a race in her own city could give her the right mix of comfort and motivation.
And what happens if she’s truly ready to go? A showdown with Paulino and Naser in the 400m would be the most anticipated sprint race of the summer, short of the Olympics. Both have clocked under 49 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone’s best is 48.74—though she’s run 47.91 on a relay split. The 200m is even more curious. She hasn’t run it seriously in years, but there are whispers from training that she could post something special.
So while Kingston brought another win and another payday, it also brought a glimpse of something more interesting: a restless champion who’s ready to play a different game.
And if that race happens in Los Angeles? Don’t be surprised if she makes it look easy, too.
