Why is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone not competing in the 400m hurdles at World Athletics Championships?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 400-meter world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be seen in a new light at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest 2023 because she has chosen not to run in the hurdles. According to coach Bobby Kersee, who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, the Olympian will compete in the upcoming meet in Budapest solely in the 400 meters race.
For the World Track and Field Championships in August, McLaughlin-Levrone will focus more intently on racing, not hurdling. The 23-year-old is the current 400-meter hurdles world record holder and the current world champion. McLaughlin-Levrone recently finished 10th among all female athletes in the flat 400-meter race, which led some to believe that she will strive for two gold medals at this year's championship.
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Why is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone not competing in hurdles?
McLaughlin-Levrone and Athing Mu, two of the most successful track and field athletes in the world due to their versatility, will each compete in one event at the world track and field championships in August. McLaughlin-Levrone will run the 400 meters, while Mu will run the 800 meters. Being a 400-meter hurdles world record holder and finishing the flat 400-meter race, McLaughlin-Levrone will focus on just one instead, stated coach Kersee.
Kersee told the LA Times, "The double does not allow us, I think, the proper amount of time and recovery to do both, and I think the bigger challenge would obviously be to see how we can do in the 400. We won our nationals, which is hard to win, and we did it in good fashion, so I think that we want to continue moving forward with the challenge."
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Kersee did add that McLaughlin-Levrone would return to the 400-meter hurdles in the future. He said, "We might as well continue the journey, in my opinion, that way. By no means does that mean we’re giving up the 400 hurdles or whatever goals we might have in the future toward being an Olympic champion again in the 400-meter hurdles or challenging the world record in the 400-meter hurdles or what have you."
This decision is not entirely unexpected given that the 23-year-old athlete didn't compete in any 400-meter hurdles events in 2023. Her 400-meter runs in Paris, New York City and the US Nationals were all really encouraging. She won the national championships in Eugene with a remarkable time of 48.74 seconds. She rose to the position of 10th fastest woman ever.
Which events will McLaughlin-Levrone be participating in?
According to Kersee, McLaughlin-Levrone recently entered the 400 meters at the Monaco Diamond League meet. The timeline for the new track and field world champion has changed as we can see: August 20, Morning Session: Women’s 400 meters; Heats August 21, Evening Session: Women’s 400 meters; Semi-Final August 23, Evening Session: Women’s 400 meters.