After years of ruling the 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stunned the track world with a bold switch at the World Athletics Championships, trading her strongest event for the flat 400m, and redefining what greatness looks like. The New Jersey sensation scorched the track in 47.78 seconds, becoming the second-fastest woman in history behind Marita Koch’s 47.60s. Gold after gold, she’s conquered everything in her path. Yet, as this season closes spectacularly, next year’s ultimate championship brings a new wave of questions.

After her Paris Olympics 400m hurdles triumph and her phenomenal 400m gold in Tokyo, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has firmly confirmed her spot among the athletes heading to Budapest for the World Ultimate Championship, a new event introduced by World Athletics. With both golds to her name, she has been selected for both the 400m and the 400m hurdles. However, this raises concerns for her, as the Budapest schedule is so packed that if she decides to compete in both events, she will have to race every day until the final.

Scheduled to take place from September 11–13, the three-day event is fully packed. In Sydney’s case, she would have to compete on the very first day in the women’s 400m hurdles. The next day, she would have to run twice, in the 400m hurdles final and the 400m semifinal. On the last day, she would run once again in the 400m final. It’s quite a packed schedule for her if she competes in all these events, especially considering the risk of fatigue catching up with her.

It’s disappointing, considering she has the potential to medal in both the 400m and 400mh. Fans were eager to see her clash with the best on the flats and renew her rivalry with Femke Bol, but it now seems the New Jersey native may be forced to choose one path. In June, it was announced that the victor of each event would receive $150000 in prize money. If Sydney McLaughlin Levrone could compete in both 400m flats and 400m hurdles by some luck or chance, and she goes on to win both, she would receive prize money of $300000.

It’s completely up to her, but there’s a strong possibility she might opt for the 400m, considering her desire to claim all the medals on the flats. However, the 400m hurdles is equally enticing; if she wins gold there, she would become the first woman to claim a 400m hurdles gold medal in the newly minted league. Either way, Budapest might not turn out to be best of both worlds for her, putting her at risk of losing $150000 of the prize purse. Regardless, let us remind you, she will face the same problem in the upcoming LA 2028 as well.

LA 2028 gives a reality check to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Having conquered the 400m hurdles for years and now on the verge of conquering the 400m, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone might be eyeing a dual Olympic gold at the upcoming LA 2028 Games. However, reality just hit her pretty hard, as the scheduling has completely crushed those hopes. Taking to their X handle, Citius Mag reported that the 400m world champion might not be able to run both the 400m and 400m hurdles at the 2028 LA Olympics due to the event scheduling.

According to the latest scheduling reports, the first round of the 400m hurdles will take place on the morning of July 18. The 400m race will likely hold its semifinals later that evening on the same day. Let’s say, even if the 400m world champion dominates both the races on the same day, then again she would have to face the same horror on July 20th. How? That very day, she would have to run the 400m finals as well as the 400mh semifinals on the same evening. This feat, even for the most seasoned athletes, is quite impossible to achieve.

Scheduling shake-ups have become increasingly common, but the LA 2028 timetable has pushed things to a breaking point. The backlash has grown so loud that even some of the sport’s most respected coaches are speaking out.

Legendary Jamaican coach Glen Mills didn’t hold back, saying, “I dont think its good for the port in terms of quality of the performances that is expected at an olympic level and im certain that its going to have an impact on the women not getting sufficient recovery and to be able to give us the kind of quality performance that we come to expect.” Given that, what are your expectations for Sydney in the coming years?