Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone keeps jumping hurdles and breaking world records ahead of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. She shows no signs of slowing down and is widely expected to bring home a gold medal. Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe shares this sentiment, so much so that he recently declared that only if McLaughlin-Levrone were kidnapped could someone stop her from winning gold.
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Sharpe took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his feelings about McLaughlin-Levrone ruling the women’s 400 hurdles. He asserted that she is quite similar to Usain Bolt in her prowess on the track. Every time she steps on the track, she is bound to break a record, which will likely continue at the upcoming Olympics.
Again unless @GoSydGo gets kidnapped no one is beating her in the women’s 400 hurdles. She’s like @usainbolt in this regards. Anytime she’s on the track. The world record has a LEGIT chance 2 be broken. Femke Bol, Manute Bol, Bol Bol. Syd wins gold in Paris.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) July 1, 2024
McLaughlin-Levrone, 24, set another world record on Sunday at Hayward Field during the finale of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, breaking her previous record of 50.68, which she set in 2022 at the World Championships.
She didn’t participate in the 2023 World Championship in Japan due to a knee injury. Besides the 400-meter hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone will also compete in the 4×400-meter relay, where she is once again expected to lead the team to gold.
When McLaughlin-Levrone lines up in Paris alongside Dalilah Muhammad, Anna Cockrell, and others, she is expected to defend her gold. She has already gotten herself the best start possible by breaking another world record.
McLaughlin-Levrone Dominates the Trials
The University of Kentucky alum broke another record as she crossed the finish line in 50.65 seconds at Hayward Field during the finale of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. She improved her previous record by 0.03 seconds, breaking her fifth world record, while also besting Anna Cockrell and Jasmine Jones, who came in 2nd and 3rd, by 1.99 seconds and 2.12 seconds, respectively.
According to the Guardian, it was the 2019 Doha World Championships that made McLaughlin-Levrone switch coaches, moving over to Bobby Kersee. This move changed everything for her as it made her adjust her strides, dropping to 14 between the hurdles. Now, she is itching and dreaming to break that 50-second barrier.
“It’s really exciting, thinking about how to improve upon history. That’s always something I’m looking at.”
She started competing in the women’s flat 400 as a professional in 2023, achieving a time of 48.75 seconds in New York in June. However, given the tough Olympics schedule, it is unlikely that she would compete in this category. She would have to contend herself with winning golds and breaking records in 400-meter hurdles and 400×4-meter relay.
