Justin Gatlin has sent a warning to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after witnessing two jaw-dropping performances that rewrote records.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Ready Set Go podcast, the former Olympic champion couldn’t hide his awe as he reacted to the latest wave of blistering performances on the track, specifically naming two young women who have shaken up McLaughlin-Levrone’s long-held records.
“When this young lady was gone, she was gone, she made a 52.46,” Gatlin said, referring to Canadian rising star Savannah Sutherland, who left the track world stunned on June 14, 2025, at the NCAA Championships.
In her final collegiate race, Sutherland didn’t just win the 400m hurdles, she obliterated McLaughlin-Levrone’s seven-year-old NCAA record of 52.75 seconds, clocking an astonishing 52.46.
Gatlin emphasized just how significant that moment was.
“This wasn’t just any athlete; this was a senior in her last NCAA race, and she took down one of the greats. She said, ‘This is my last of my weather uniform, I want to do it with pride.’ And she did just that.”
Natalie Dumas Breaks Records and Sends Shockwaves
One week later, the spotlight shifted to Natalie Dumas, a junior from Eastern Regional High School in New Jersey, at the New Balance Nationals. Already considered a rising talent, Dumas announced her arrival in a race that instantly became one of the most memorable in U.S. high school history.
In a dramatic 400m final, Dumas powered down the home stretch, fending off a late surge from Sydney Sutton of Bullis School. In a desperate, gutsy dive at the line, she stopped the clock at 51.14 seconds, smashing McLaughlin-Levrone’s long-standing New Jersey state record of 51.87 and the New Balance Nationals meet record of 52.41.
If breaking one record wasn’t enough, Dumas’s time also ranked as the ninth-fastest ever by a U.S. high school girl and the fastest Under-20 time in the world this year. Remarkably, it came just a day after she stormed to a 55.99 in the 400m hurdles, the sixth-fastest time ever recorded by a U.S. high schooler.
Is McLaughlin-Levrone’s Throne Under Threat?
In the span of seven days, two young athletes erased two of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s cherished records, one in the NCAA ranks and another at the high school level. It’s a seismic shift in the sprint hurdles and 400m landscape, with McLaughlin-Levrone, once seen as untouchable, now facing a new wave of challengers.
Gatlin didn’t hold back in assessing the future.
“What impressed me most wasn’t just the times, it was how clean, calculated, and fearless these young women ran. No wasted movement, great technique, and if there’s room for improvement, the rest of the world better be on alert.”
For McLaughlin-Levrone, the dominance she established is now under serious challenge, not by one, but by multiple young talents hungry to carve their own legacies. The question no longer seems to be if someone will take over, but when.
