Sydney McLaughlin and the Conundrum of Dominance
by Steve McGill

As I’m writing this article, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has already qualified for the women’s open 400 meter dash at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, and will probably most likely run an outstanding semi-final race that will land her in the finals a few days from now. McLaughlin-Levrone, unequivocally the greatest female 400 meter hurdler of all time, is not competing in the 400 hurdles at this year’s World Championships, just like she didn’t compete in the event two years ago. Recently, there was a quote from Sydney being constantly posted and reposted on social media in which she was explaining that she wants to see how fast she can run without hurdles in her way. Whatever.

My annoyance is based on obvious factors. Like I said above. Sydney is the best 400 meter hurdler of all time, and it’s not even close. Though there are others in recent years who have moved the event along, like Dalillah Muhammad, Femke Bol, and now Anna Cockrell can be added to that list, Sydney’s dominance has been so complete throughout almost the entirety of her career that it isn’t a stretch to say that she has single-handedly taken the event to heights never before thought even possible. And she has done so with a grace and professionalism and humility that is as awe-inspiring as her ability to take fourteen strides between the hurdles for most of the race. Now, for the second year, while still in the prime of her career, she has decided to take a year off from her specialty event to take on the best 400 meter runners in the world. The hurdler in me, the hurdle coach in me, the hurdle junkie in me, doesn’t get it, and resents it. But when I take a step back and look at it with a wider lens, it’s easy to see why Sydney is not running the 400 hurdles this year. She needs a challenge.

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Even though you’d get little to no argument if you claimed that Bol is the second best 400 hurdler in history, and that Muhammad and Cockrell are in the conversation, Sydney is in a class of her own. Bol is dominant when Sydney is not around, but when Sydney is around, Bol falls back to being one of the many women chasing her. Even in the mixed 4×400 relay, when the announcers are saying that everybody better look out for Bol in the last leg, I find myself thinking that if Sydney were running the last leg for the USA, she’d not only hold off Bol but increase the lead. And I’m sure I’m not the only person thinking that. So as great as Femke is, she’s never beaten Sydney, and there’s no reason to think that she would until she runs a time that is as fast as Sydney’s best. Maybe this year will be the year; we’ll find out soon.

But my point is, Sydney has no one who can legitimately be called her rival. In the men’s race, we have three giants — Karsten Warholm, Rai Benjamin, and Alison Dos Santos. Together, they have advanced the event to heights that we never thought would be seen until the year 3000. Together, they have shattered previous world records and established new standards. While Warholm probably has the most head-to-head-to-head victories of the three, all of them have defeated each other at some point. When at least two of three line up against each other, it’s warfare, and the man with the greatest skill and greatest will is going to win that day. Sydney’s conundrum makes me think back to the days of Edwin Moses, who went undefeated in the 400 hurdles for 9 years, 9 months, and 9 days. I wonder if he ever grew bored with his dominance and flirted with the idea of trying the open 400 or another event. If not, I wonder how he was able to stay motivated to continue his excellence and improve upon it for so many years without a true rival. Everybody is different, I guess. And Edwin did take off entire seasons a couple times during years when there were no World Championships nor Olympic Games. So maybe that was his way of resetting, and maybe competing in the open 400 is Sydney’s way.

One of the good things that came from the Grand Slam Track League (despite all of its financial issues) is that it gave athletes opportunity to try events other than their specialty, or in addition to their specialty. Track athletes at the highest level don’t often get such opportunities, but they don’t stop craving them. I think it’s natural for the world’s best athletes to prove that they’re elite at more than just one thing. Throughout high school and college, the best track and field athletes are asked or required by their coaches to participate in multiple events, and are often counted on to dominate in multiple events. A handful of elite athletes in a high school state meet who each excel in multiple events can win a state championship by themselves. Same with the NCAAs. Then, as professionals, these same athletes are expected to compete in only one event, maybe two, but hardly ever more than that. 

I remember when I was applying for the job as sprint/hurdle coach at North Carolina State University about four years ago, one of the reasons they were interested in me was because I had coached two of their athletes in high school. One of them, Josh Brockman, was a 13-mid guy who could really roll. When I visited the campus and talked with the head coach, Josh was one of the athletes I spoke with that day. The first thing he asked me when the head coach asked the athletes if they had any questions for me was, “If you came here, would you be okay with me trying the long jump?” I stammered, “sure thing, we’d just have to work out the training schedules for both.” But in my mind I was thinking, Bruh, I know you as a hurdler, I coached you as a hurdler, our relationship is built on the hurdles, you have the potential to be an NCAA champion, and you’re asking me if you can try the long jump? 

But I get it. He long-jumped in high school, he missed it, and wanted to come back to it, curious to see what a stronger, faster version of himself could do. 

And it’s the same logic that explains why Sydney wants to compete in the open 400. There, she has competition. There are women in that event who have run faster than her in that event — women who present a true challenge, who will not easily concede that just because Sydney is a superstar that she’ll be able to take over their domain. Every great athlete needs new challenges in order to grow, in order to keep pushing themselves, in order to stay motivated. So I wish her the best. But I hope she comes back to the hurdles.

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