Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on her U.S. Olympic Trials prep ahead of Paris 2024
With the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field just few days away, the building blocks seem to be coming together for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
"I'm feeling good," McLaughlin-Levrone told a small cluster of reporters at the USATF NYC Grand Prix on Sunday (9 June) after she soared to victory in the open 400m.
"Good" could be an understatement: She was just 0.05 seconds off of Sanya Richards Ross' 48.70 from 2006, the American record, in what was McLaughlin-Levrone's first outing in the event in the 2024 season.
"OMG. That was unbelievable!" a more expressive - and perhaps somehwat relieved - Richards Ross said in the NBC commentary booth after Sydney's 48.75. "Wow. Wow. Wow! Great run by Sydney!"
The time was a world lead in the event.
It came a little more than a week after her best-of-the-season 52.70 in the 400m hurdles - the event in which she is the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion.
"I'll take that," McLaughlin-Levrone said of the time and the victory, even if it wasn't exactly what she was going for. "[I wanted] the American record," she added when asked about the hope for the day.
The 24-year-old appears to have a one-track mind with the Olympic Games Paris 2024 drawing ever closer. The last five weeks have entailed five wins across four different events: The 400m flat, 200m, 100m hurdles and - her signature - 400m hurdles.
"I'm sure Bobby will have some notes for me," she said, cracking a smile when bringing up legendary coach Bobby Kersee after her New York win.
SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE: EYES ON PARIS 2024
McLaughlin-Levrone let her speed do the talking in New York with the 21 June start at Trials in Eugene, Oregon: "I'm just getting ready for the Trials... getting ready for the Games," she said.
She sat on the track for a good 10 minutes at Icahn Stadium in NYC after her win, catching her breath and doing a light amount of stretching. She's still cautious of the knee injury that interrupted her 2023 season, forcing her out of the World Championships.
The team is attacking from a technical perspective. Facing a headwind on Sunday, she was forced to dig deep in her training to finish strong.
"I wanted to get out there and get a race under me," she said on NBC of the 400m. "It's working on the back-end work. Working on coming home. I'm going to need it for those hurdles."
After her 52.70 world lead in the 400m hurldes on 31 May, Femke Bol, the Olympic bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020 in 2021, went 53.07 two days later at the Diamond League stop in Stockholm.
"I'm going to go back home and continue to plan some stuff," McLaughlin-Levrone said in New York.
A mere 0.05 off a national record, McLaughlin-Levrone shrugged it off in a way.
"I don't think I would count that as 'crazy,'" she said in response to one reporter.
A minute later, Sydney was thanking reporters and walking away... clearly determined to get to the next step in her path towards another Olympic podium.
posted Wednesday June 12th
by Nick McCarvel