Sydney McLaughlin opens up on switching events at World Championships
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 29.12.25. | 16:26
The 26-year-old American sent shockwaves through track and field earlier this year when she announced she would bypass the hurdles for a new event
Sydney McLaughlin Levrone’s decision to step away from her dominant 400m hurdles event and embrace the flat 400m has already reshaped the global athletics landscape.
The 26-year-old American sent shockwaves through track and field earlier this year when she announced she would bypass the hurdles an event she has ruled for years to pursue a fresh challenge in the one lap sprint. It was a bold move but one that has paid off in spectacular fashion.
McLaughlin Levrone underlined her credentials at the US National Championships where she stormed to the 400m title to secure her place at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. What followed on the global stage was nothing short of historic.
On Thursday, 18 September, racing on the same track where she won Olympic gold in the 400m hurdles at the Tokyo 2021 Games, McLaughlin Levrone claimed world gold in the 400m flat with a sensational time of 47.78 seconds. The performance broke a 42-year-old championship record and now stands as the second fastest time in history.
Far from being a routine victory, the race turned into a classic duel as Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino pushed the American all the way to the line. For the first time ever two women dipped under 48 seconds in a single 400m race signalling a new era for the event.
McLaughlin’s winning time also established a new North American record and brought renewed attention to Marita Koch’s long standing world record of 47.60 seconds set in 1985. With just 0.18 seconds separating her from that mark many believe it is only a matter of time before the record falls provided she remains in the flat event.
On her road to the title McLaughlin Levrone broke Sanya Richards Ross’s US record before the final, and then erased Jarmila Kratochvilova’s championship best from 1983 by two tenths of a second.
The Tokyo triumph marked her fourth world title across three different events further cementing her status as one of the sport’s most versatile greats.
Female World Athlete of the Year Winner 🏆
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) November 30, 2025
🇺🇸’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is your Female World Athlete of the Year 🤩#AthleticsAwards pic.twitter.com/wXDhwE9d8C
Despite the growing calls for her to chase the 400m world record McLaughlin Levrone has remained measured about the challenge. Speaking to Forbes Magazine she revealed the decision to switch events was not taken lightly.
“It was a very weighted decision. We had pursued it in 2023 going after the 400, but unfortunately I got injured, so we weren’t able to finish the season. After Paris it really came back and I was like I think we just need to try this one more time. There’s something about stepping out of your comfort zone into the unknown that is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time,” she said.
Looking ahead questions remain over what lies in store for her in 2026 and beyond. While her long term focus is firmly on a home Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 a return to the hurdles has not been ruled out.
Rival Femke Bol has previously admitted she missed having McLaughlin Levrone as a benchmark in the discipline.
However, based on her Tokyo performance and with another world record now within touching distance the temptation to continue rewriting history in the 400m flat may prove too strong to ignore.
