Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has long been known for redefining limits in the 400m hurdles, smashing world records and dominating her rivals, especially Dutch star Femke Bol.
But just days before the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, the Olympic and World champion is making headlines, with no entry yet in the 400m hurdles, her signature event.
At the moment, McLaughlin-Levrone is only entered in the 400m flat, where she owns a season-best of 49.43 seconds. Her absence from the 400m hurdles list is glaring, especially considering this event is her most direct route to secure a place on Team USA for the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
The entries for the US trials officially close on July 22, meaning the clock is ticking for Sydney to make a decision. If she doesn’t enter the hurdles, she’s putting her Worlds appearance in serious doubt.
Full List of Women’s 400m Flat Entrants at USATF Championships 2025 (as of July 21):
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – 49.43
- Alexis Holmes – 49.78
- Talitha Diggs – 49.93
- Lynna Irby-Jackson – 50.06
- Aaliyah Butler – 50.09
- Quanera Hayes – 50.24
- Kaylyn Brown – 50.36
- Britton Wilson – 50.39
- JaMeesia Ford – 50.41
- Courtney Okolo – 50.72
(And 11 more athletes with qualifying marks)
Track and field analyst Kemal sparked further debate on X (formerly Twitter).
“Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone being entered only in the 400m at USAs quite is a mystery. She has over a day to make decision as to whether or not she will be doing the 400mH. It could be a situation in which she is using USAs as a mechanism to improve her flat speed.
Then goes on to the Diamond League circuit and gets the 400mH Wildcard for the Tokyo World Championship. Doing the 400m is quite an interesting choice.”
However, this route is murky. The Diamond League final in Zurich is set for August 27–28, but the World Championships qualifying window closes on August 24, creating a logistical nightmare if that’s Sydney’s backup plan.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2023 season showed a similar pattern: she skipped the hurdles at USAs to try the flat 400m instead, but later pulled out due to injury. She made a similar withdrawal from this year’s Ed Murphey Classic, citing physical concerns.
“I’ve been training hard and was ready to go, which makes this all the more frustrating,” she said.
There’s also a possibility that McLaughlin-Levrone is relying on her #2 world ranking or previous qualifying times (she’s already run under the 54.65s standard in 2025) to get selected without competing at trials. However, this hinges on USATF’s discretion, a route that offers no guarantees.
With Femke Bol in top form and likely cruising through her national selection, skipping the hurdles at this stage may give Bol a clear path to gold in Tokyo.
In the end, it’s a high-stakes decision. If Sydney doesn’t pivot back to the 400m hurdles before July 22, she may be forced to watch the World Championships from the sidelines.
For now, her fans can only wait and wonder, will the much-anticipated Sydney vs. Femke showdown happen in Tokyo, or will 2025 mark another lost chapter in track’s most exciting rivalry?