Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has redefined excellence on the track. She crossed the finish line in the 400m hurdles in 50.37s at the Paris Olympics. And at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, she switched to the 400m race and became the second-fastest woman in the discipline with a clock in time of 47.78s. With the preparations for the 2028 LA Olympics going strong, fans were seemingly backing McLaughlin-Levrone for a double gold in the 400m flats and 400m hurdles. Unfortunately, these fans are in for a disappointment. 

CITIUS MAG recently took to X and dropped that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone would not “be able to do the 400m & 400m hurdles double at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.” And the reason was the awkward scheduling of the events. Needless to say, the New Jersey native has often showcased a fierce stance during her events. But the preparation and the tactics for 400m hurdles are pretty different from the 400m flats. However, the 2028 Olympics came with a different problem, even if she’d be able to manage both events simultaneously.

The 400m hurdles’ first round is reportedly slated to go down on the morning of July 18. The 400m race will probably have its semifinals on the evening of the same date. Even if Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dominates both of her races on July 18, she’d have to compete in the 400m finals and the 400m hurdles semifinals “on the same evening session on July 20th.” And that’s absolutely impossible for anyone to achieve. Unless there’s a time-turner device that Hermoine Granger used to attend multiple classes at Hogwarts at the same time.

This is not merely an inconvenience; it’s a structural barrier. Olympic doubles are rare because they require cooperation from the schedule. Legends like Michael Johnson and Allyson Felix benefited from favorable timetables that allowed them to chase history. In Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s case, the schedule blocks her path before she ever steps onto the track. What makes the situation even more disheartening is that she is arguably one of the few athletes capable of pulling off this unprecedented double.

Her world-record performances show she’s operating in a league of her own. Fans hoped that LA 2028, being a home Olympics, would offer her a shot at rewriting history yet again.

Well, there’s more to this story of coincidence than just the 400m and 400m hurdles. Its not just Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who would be affected. The list grows longer.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is not alone in facing scheduling troubles for the 2028 LA Olympics

Just like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Sifan Hassan might not attempt a triple at the next Olympics. July 15 will mark the 10,000m final in the evening session. And the very next day, in the morning session, there’s the 1500m round one. This short span of resting time is simply not enough for the athletes to recover from the 10,000m run. It’s nigh impossible for anyone to recover this quickly and run the 1500m. It doesn’t end here. The final for the 1500m race is slated for the evening session of 19 July, and on July 21, the morning session, there’s the 5000m round one. Even though there’s a day’s gap, it offers no time for a practice run. 

Even the 100m sprinters will feel the pressure. World Athletics will host all three rounds of the women’s 100m on a single day—15 July 2028. The prelims take place in the morning, the semifinals follow in the evening, and the final closes the night session. With very little time to rest, the athletes might face some turbulence in the semifinals and the finals of the 100m dash at the Olympic Games.

Nevertheless, there’s still hope for some. The 400m and the 200m double is doable. With the 400m final on July 20 and the 200m rounds spread over the next two days, athletes get enough recovery time. This makes the sprint double realistic and manageable. For now, the fans’ bid for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s double Olympic gold remains a dream denied by the unforgiving design of the LA 2028 schedule.