If you follow track & field at all, you’re witnessing greatness on the level of Usain Bolt via 400m hurdles and 400m track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She’s been on my radar since she was 17, when she finished 3rd at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400m hurdles, qualifying for the team. She ended up finishing 5th in the semi-finals at the Olympics, but looked to be a star destined for the future.
Since then, she has been. Over a period of about 3 years, she consistently destroyed fields in the 400m hurdles, getting the World Record 6 times while lowering her time from the World Record by 1.53 seconds, with a time of 50.37. 1.53 seconds below the first World Record she set! The current most dominant 400m hurdler is Femke Bol, who has won basically every meet since Sydney got bored with the 400m hurdles. Her best time, 50.95.
In the 2023 season, Sydney began tinkering in the 400m, while still winning the 400m hurdles in World Record time in the Paris Olympics in 2024. It was a bit of a slow go at first, but she quickly began standing out. She really stood out in the World Championships in Tokyo this week. In the semi-finals, she won her race shattering the American Record that had been held by Sanya Richards-Ross since 2006 by .41 seconds.
If you know anything about this event, you know the World Records have been thought impossible to catch that were set in 1985 by the East German Dopers. I now am confident Sydney will break the World Record. Why? Because she’s now only .18 behind it after her performance in winning the World Championship, again beating Richards-Ross’s old American Record by .92 seconds. I think she can make it up, as I can’t think of anyone I’ve seen in track with the level of drive she has. She is not flashy, she just gets the job done and goes faster and faster and faster. And this can be the sweat thread for anyone who cares for when she does break the World Record.
She is a once in a lifetime athlete, just like Bolt was. I hope anyone who’s interested in this sort of thing will begin paying attention to her if they haven’t already.
Its interesting to me how some disciplines are just stuck. The long/triple/high jump haven’t seen anyone near world record levels in decades. On the other hand the 200m finals 4th place finisher was below the WR michael johnson was chasing for years
How many were old enough to be by East Germans? Keep in mind I haven’t researched these records and don’t know.
I think the reason the 100-200 times were moving (I don’t think anyone is catching Bolt) is because of Bolt creating a lot of interest for the sport. Many older records were harder to catch because of doping. Not accusing FloJo but she’s the 100 and 200 record holder right?
Well I can tell you that her times are also already getting scrutinized as her coach is one who has a shady history as well. If you make such jumps in your times there will always be question marks.
Except she already made these types of time jumps in the 400m hurdles. I find it hard to believe a person of her caliber is doping, especially because she looks the opposite of a doper and has had comparatively small changes to her body since she launched. Melissa’s getting a lot of scrutiny because she did just launch and is already nearing World Records in the 100 and 200. That’s def more suspect.
Women’s records in triple jump and high jump have been broken relatively recently. No one’s really doing a Carl Lewis for long jump, as they tend to stay in the sprints. Also, triple jump and high jump have higher barrier of entry because you usually need to be above average height to succeed. Rojas is 6’4 with enormously long legs.
sorry i misunderstood. im a track and field nerd so it felt obvious to me that everyone knows who the WR holders are. This wasn’t in regards to doping at all, just a general athletics discussion. I was talking about the men’s records. Jonathan Edwards in the triple jump, Sotomayor in the high jump and Mike Powell in the long jump. Sotomayor and Edwards were dominant in their fields for a while. Powell might be a bit more sus but these are 90s record not 80s.
Sydney’s coach is Flo-Jo’s old coach so the suspicions are pretty easy to come by
While Flo-Jo looked the part, she was never confirmed when people were getting busted all the time for looking like her. Did you see the picture of Marita after she broke the 400m World Record? Just nothing but pure muscle.
I know Gabby Thomas has been throwing shade about coaches who were either dopers as athletes or coaches, but some of that seems like jealousy. The only real potential smoke I see so far is Melissa. She’s had a Bolt-like ascension without seeming to have any of the natural tools he had. I just root that no one gets caught doping but I’m ready for it, especially for people like Kishane Thompson.
47.6 is the women’s record huh? That’s a wild number. That’s faster than anyone I raced against in high school. Thats like men’s big ten championship final qualifying fast. Nuts.