Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has long stood as the defining figure of the 400-meter hurdles, rewriting the record books with six world marks and back-to-back Olympic titles. At the Paris Games in 2024, she lowered her own standard to 50.37 seconds while collecting her second straight gold medal. Yet less than a year later, the reigning queen of the event surprised many by setting aside her trademark race for a different challenge.

In Eugene on August 2, 2025, she stormed through the women’s 400 meters in 48.90 seconds to win the U.S. national title, missing the American record by only two-tenths of a second. That performance secured her place at the World Championships in Tokyo, where she will line up not in the hurdles, but in the flat 400. Her campaign in 2025 illustrates the seriousness o

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