🚀 In a career defined by shattered records and unyielding dominance, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone refuses to coast on past glories. The two-time Olympic champion and multi-time 400-meter hurdles world record holder has made a stunning, strategic pivot for the 2025 season, moving her primary focus to the ultra-competitive 400-meter flat race—a switch that speaks volumes about her desire for continuous growth in global athletics.
Sitting down with Olympics.com, the 26-year-old track star offered profound insight into the rationale behind her bold change of lanes, explaining that even with the LA 2028 Olympics looming on the horizon, she actively sought a greater challenge than merely defending her title.
The Pursuit of the Well-Rounded Athlete
For an athlete who has lowered the 400m hurdles world record six times in less than four years, including her spectacular performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics (where the current record stands at 50.37 seconds), a third consecutive Olympic gold in the hurdles seemed a foregone conclusion. But complacency, it turns out, is not in the McLaughlin-Levrone playbook.
“It’s very rewarding to step out of my comfort zone,” she stated, reflecting her belief that growth resides in discomfort. “I want to be the best well-rounded athlete I can be, and this is one of those challenges that I think I had been putting off for myself. I wanted to step out in a different way.”
This “stepping out” involved a complete commitment to the 400m flat, an event that requires a different mental and physical approach compared to the rhythmic execution demanded by the hurdles. By concentrating on pure flat speed and endurance, she is honing a crucial component that will ultimately benefit her entire range of disciplines. The calculated shift quickly yielded major dividends, as she claimed the U.S. national title in early August, setting the stage for her historic run at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
In Tokyo, the move was completely validated as she became the first athlete in history to win individual world titles in both the 400m flat and the 400m hurdles, a feat of versatility that cemented her status as a generational icon. Her 47.78-second clocking in the 400m final not only broke the North American record but also placed her as the second-fastest woman in history, nearly taking down Marita Koch’s long-standing world record.
A Mental Test and Future Vision
The American star admitted the flat race is a different kind of monster. “The 400 is just more of a mental game than the hurdles,” she explained, noting the increased need for precise pacing and mental fortitude in a race that is often described as the most brutal on the track. “[Pushing] myself in a way that I haven’t before [has] been exciting… I’m excited to see where it continues to go.”
Where it could go is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the iconic venue for LA28 Olympics athletics events. As a New Jersey native who now calls Los Angeles home, the prospect of competing at a home games—in a stadium that will host athletics for the third time in history—is a powerful motivator.
“To be able to run in the Coliseum would be just such an honor,” she reflected. “I think that’s what motivates me… but just keeping that in the back of my mind keeps me, for sure, looking toward it.”
McLaughlin-Levrone’s decision is a masterclass in career longevity and skill development. By mastering the 400m flat, she is not abandoning the hurdles; she is building a stronger foundation to potentially return and lower her world record even further. For the fans of track and field, her audacious path ensures that every time she steps into the blocks, whether with or without barriers, it is a must-watch event.