Latest news with #SydneyMcLaughlinLevrone
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Runs 100-Meter World Lead At Grand Slam Track
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States wins in the Women's 200 Meters during the Grand Slam ... More Track series at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on May 31, 2025. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Operating on a newly condensed two-day competition schedule, Grand Slam Track brought electric energy and elite racing to the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Almost every race ended in a new stadium record, effectively rewriting the history books and raising the bar for all who wish to compete there in the future. From Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone running her first-ever professional 100-meter dash to Olympic silver medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden dropping a new 100-meter dash world lead, there was something invigorating for every fan to watch. Here is a guide that recaps some of the most exciting moments from the weekend. PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES JUNE 1: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States celebrates after ... More she wins in the Women's 100 meters with 10.73 a new World Lead time and her Personal Best, winning the Women's Short Sprint category, on the second day of the third leg of the Grand Slam Track Series, held at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images) Olympic bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is currently on a three-Slam winning streak in the short sprints. Even with having to face the fourth fastest woman of all time, Gabby Thomas, Jefferson-Wooden shows she isn't afraid to test her limits for the $100,000 prize. On day one of Grand Slam, Jefferson-Wooden lined up against Olympic champion Thomas for the second this Slam season in the 200-meter dash. Although Thomas has incredible top-end speed, it wasn't enough to track down Jefferson-Wooden, who ran a 21.99 second personal best. In the mixed zone after the competition, the Olympic silver medalist expressed that part of her plan for the 200-meter dash was to get out as quickly as possible because she knew her competition would be strong and looking to track her down. 'I knew if I wanted to win, I had to get out, get in front, control the race, and let them come get me,' said Jefferson-Wooden. The now three-time short sprint Slam champion did just that, making her race plan pay off just as intended. Today in Philadelphia, the Olympic bronze medalist ran a world lead and personal best in the 100-meter dash of 10.73 seconds. From the gun, Jefferson-Wooden had a strong acceleration phase, making her difficult to track down in the later phases of the race. No competitor was near her when she crossed the finish line. Despite some fans being concerned that she may be peaking with her athletic abilities, Jefferson-Wooden firmly believes she is far from the best version of herself and has way more in the tank. When she spoke with me in the mixed-zone, she expressed that these races are feeling easy. As it stands, she and Olympic champion Julien Alfred are displaying the most promise to podium in Tokyo so far this season. There is one more Grand Slam Track meet happening this year in Los Angeles on June 28th-29th. If Jefferson-Wooden can pull off earning her fourth Slam title, she will have a strong case for winning Racer of the Year. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 31: Ackera Nugent competes against Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ... More competes in the women's 100m hurdles during Grand Slam Track at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania on May 31, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/) Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a woman of many athletic talents. Outside of being the six-time world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone can also hold her own in the 400-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, and now the 100-meter dash. Although she did not come out as the short hurdle Slam champion, McLaughlin-Levrone was not afraid to push her limits and fight for the title. As previously mentioned, the Olympic champion decided to compete in the short hurdles at Franklin Field. On the first day, McLaughlin-Levrone ran 12.70 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, placing fifth to earn four points. Jamaican national record holder Ackera Nugent controlled the race, running 12.44 seconds to break the facility record and earn her first victory of the weekend. Today, McLaughlin-Levrone stepped even further outside of her comfort zone and raced her first-ever professional 100-meter dash. The last time she ran a 100-meter dash before today was her freshman year at Kentucky, where she ran a wind-aided 11.07 at the Tennessee Relays. Despite not being the favorite to win the 100-meter dash, the Olympic champion held her own. She did not have the best start, but the final stages of the race were spectacular as she picked off her competitors one by one. Nugent reigned victorious again, running 11.11 seconds to earn her second short hurdle Slam victory of the year. McLaughlin-Levrone ran a strong second, running a new wind-legal personal best of 11.21 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone placed second overall in the short hurdles this Slam, taking home $50,000 for her efforts. After competition, the 400-meter hurdle world record holder mentioned why this weekend was monumental for her testing her mental strength. 'I think the best part was honestly putting myself in an uncomfortable position and seeing how I reacted and handled it,' said McLaughlin-Levrone. 'Being able to go in there against the best of the best and put myself in that position, I'm proud of how I handled it mentally.' PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES JUNE 1: Jamal Britt of Great Britain wins in the Men's Short Hurdles ... More category, after finsing second in the Men's 100 meters, on the second day of the third leg of the Grand Slam Track Series, held at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images) Grand Slam Track has a goal of making professional track a sport where athletes do not need to rely on shoe sponsorships to continue their dream of competing professionally. Instead, they want to provide opportunities for athletes to showcase their abilities and earn a substantial amount of money for competing against the best of the best. This weekend, unsponsored hurdler Jamal Britt became the new heartfelt story to come out of the Grand Slam meets. Britt became the short hurdle Slam champion by placing first in the 110-meter hurdles against current world leader Cordell Tinch and Miami Slam winner Trey Cunningham. Adding to his strong hurdle race, Britt placed second behind Cunningham in the 100-meter dash, earning him a total of 20 points. Britt has always been an elite hurdler. From his time at the University of Iowa to now, Britt has made multiple USATF National Championship finals, only missing world and Olympic teams by only a spot or two. Despite constantly proving his athletic ability, he sits on a long list of elite track and field athletes without a shoe sponsor. After competing, I asked him what would be the first thing he'd do with his check. Britt stated the money would go right back into funding his track career. He would use the money for medical treatment, travel, and more. Like Jacory Patterson, Dylan Beard, and Chris Robinson, all unsponsored athletes who've benefited from the large prize money at Grand Slam, this financial victory was monumental for his career. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 31: Kenny Bednarek of the United States celebrates after winning ... More the men's 200m on Day 1 of Grand Slam Track- Philadelphia at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania on May 31, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by) Just like his training partner Jefferson-Wooden, Kenny Bednarek is on a hot streak with Slam titles this season. Bednarek earned his third short sprint Slam title at Franklin Field, proving why he is a strong contender for male Racer of the Year. Although the 100-meter dash isn't Bednarek's strongest event, he has proven this season that he is committed to executing dominant races to elevate his overall sprint capabilities. Bednarek ran 9.86 seconds in the 100-meter dash on Saturday, making that a new personal best and world lead. In the 200-meter dash, Bednarek controlled the race from the gun, making his competitors work hard to catch him coming around the turn. Once he hit the straightaway, no one could catch the two-time Olympic silver medalist. He ran 19.95, giving Franklin Field a new facility record in the 200-meter dash. Bednarek's sprinting capabilities speak for themselves. He was the only male athlete, along with Noah Lyles, to make Team USA in two sprint events. In Paris, he placed seventh in the 100-meter dash final. He ran 9.88 seconds in Paris, which is only two-hundredths of a second slower than the personal best he ran Saturday. Bednarek also earned his second Olympic silver medal in the 200-meter dash. The Olympian has been a force to be reckoned with since his time as a collegiate athlete. Bednarek only spent one year at Indian Hills Community College before turning professional after his wind-aided 19.49 second 200-meter dash in 2019. In the mixed zone, Bednarek stated that he felt he could have run faster in the 100-meter dash today and knows he has a lot more left to give this season. If all goes well, he can podium in Tokyo in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, similar to his countryman and three-time world champion, Lyles. The final Grand Slam Track meet will take place in Los Angeles, California, June 28th-29th. For more information on how to watch or purchase tickets, fans can refer to the Grand Slam Track website for more details. The stakes will be high as Jefferson-Wooden and Bednarek try to secure their fourth Slam victories. Fans can also expect McLaughlin-Levrone to push the envelope again as she plans to take on 400-meter Olympic gold and silver medalists Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser in the long sprints.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
McLaughlin-Levrone fifth in 100m hurdles Philadelphia experiment
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finished fifth in the 100m hurdles at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meeting (Ricardo Makyn) Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's experiment at dropping down to the 100m hurdles ended in defeat on Saturday, with the reigning Olympic 400m hurdles champion finishing fifth at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meeting. McLaughlin-Levrone, who has been unbeatable over her specialist event since 2019, found the going tougher over the shorter hurdles discipline at a rainy and overcast Franklin Field. Advertisement The 25-year-old American superstar came home in 12.70sec and never looked like threatening Jamaican winner Ackera Nugent, who crossed in 12.44sec. Tia Jones of the United States was second in 12.60sec, with Jamaica's Megan Tapper third in 12.66sec. In other events in Saturday's meeting, Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas suffered a surprise defeat in her favoured event, beaten into second place by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Jefferson-Wooden, a 100m bronze medallist at the Paris Olympics last year, stormed home in 21.99sec with Thomas second in 22.10sec. Tamari Davis took third in 22.59sec, just ahead of Britain's Dina Asher-Smith in 22.65. rcw/bb
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: Inside the mind of a serial winner
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is discussing what the night before a race at the Olympic Games is like. 'It's very broken-up sleep,' she says, smiling. 'For very big races, it's almost like (my body) is a race car revving up. It's just ready. Ready to get to it.' And when McLaughlin-Levrone gets to it, that tends to be devastating news for her opponents. Still only 25, she has won four Olympic golds: two over 400m hurdles in Paris and Tokyo and two more in the 4x400m relay. Advertisement But track has not always been this straightforward for her. Over an absorbing half-hour on a video call with The Athletic, she provides a window into the mind of one of the planet's outstanding modern athletes. She explains how faith helped her overcome the anxiety that previously left her 'throwing up' before major races, as well as her fears that her value was wrapped up solely in winning and losing races. Three years out from a home Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, she has emerged as the most dominant U.S. female track athlete. Among the men's and women's track medallists who won gold for the United States in Paris, only Sha'Carri Richardson has more than her 1.5m followers on Instagram. McLaughlin-Levrone has won 12 consecutive 400m hurdles finals in the past six years — she was last defeated at the World Championships in 2019. In that time, she has also broken the world record in the 400m hurdles six times. Between 1984 and 2019, the world record in the event was lowered by 1.42 seconds. But between the summers of 2021 and 2024, McLaughlin-Levrone trimmed 1.79 seconds off it — all by herself. By winning the 400m hurdles in Paris last summer, she became the first American to retain an Olympic gold in an individual track event since Michael Johnson's consecutive golds in the 400m in 1996 and 2000. There is competition, most notably from her compatriot Anna Cockrell and the Dutch racer Femke Bol. But in Paris, McLaughlin-Levrone obliterated the field. Bol took bronze, and she was two seconds behind. Is motivation a challenge? Does it ever feel like she is racing against herself? 'There's always something I can be doing better,' McLaughlin-Levrone says. 'There's always someone striving to be where you are. There's days where I'm more motivated than others. It's easy to get stuck in a rut or it can become monotonous, but I get to do what I love every day and I get to quite literally race a clock. Advertisement 'It's fun to figure out how I can become the best athlete I can be and keep lowering my times. There's always the reality of competition that's going to push me. But when I am at practice, it is figuring out how I can be better than Sydney was yesterday.' But how much 'better' can Sydney be? When she qualified to represent the United States in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 as a 16-year-old high-school student, she was the youngest to make the team in 36 years. Might she break Carl Lewis's U.S. record of nine American Olympic golds? Could she break the 50-second barrier for the 400m hurdles, having set a time of 50.37 seconds in Paris? Might she switch up events in 2028, having solely competed in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay in Paris? At the NYC Grand Prix in 2024, she won the 400m flat in 48.75 seconds, which would have secured a bronze medal in Paris. Over the 200m flat in Los Angeles last year — her first time competing over the distance since 2018 — she ran a time of 22.07, which would have earned her silver in Paris. All of which makes one wonder what might be possible if she committed to different events in 2028. This weekend, racing in Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, McLaughlin-Levrone will run her first 100m flat in a professional setting, and will also contest the 100m hurdles. She was one of the first to sign up to Grand Slam Track. While attendance was underwhelming at the first meet in Kingston, Jamaica, and McLaughlin-Levrone says there are 'wrinkles' to iron out, she insists GST 'is something that can grow.' 'All the athletes I've talked to have really enjoyed it,' she adds. The event, in which racers compete in two disciplines at each meet, enables her to dabble in different events. And she says she is open to running on the flat in 2028. Advertisement 'I'm starting to kind of like this sprinting thing,' she says, with a glint in her eye. She likes the buzz of feeling uncomfortable. She says it is 'humbling', describing the short sprints as akin to 'entering a lion's den.' 'It's a completely different energy system. It's so ballistic; shooting out of the blocks, toe dragging. To create this force in a linear line down the track is so different than the grace that the 400m gives if you don't have the best block start. That doesn't exist in the 100m. 'It's definitely been a shift these past few weeks, but it's been great to work on sprint mechanics, block start and hurdle technique, because those are all things — even though they aren't as important in longer races — which can still be of benefit down the line.' She has been studying videos of short sprinters, tapping up Trayvon Bromell, the U.S. sprinter who has twice won world bronze, for advice. Bromell is a friend of her husband, the former NFL wide receiver Andre Levrone Jr. 'He was giving me a few pointers of how to set up in the blocks,' she says. 'I've watched a lot his starts, specifically, just trying to understand some of the shin angles. It is fascinating getting to learn something that I didn't know before.' McLaughlin-Levrone's track journey began in Dunellen, New Jersey. Both of her parents were strong runners and her dad Willie, her coach growing up, made it to the semi-finals of the 1984 U.S. Olympic trials in the 400m. 'My dad took me and my three siblings and we were our own little track team,' she says. 'There was no pressure. That is how we were introduced into the sport. 'I didn't do any club. We didn't really even train. My dad gave us some drills for our arm swing, our high knees, agility drills and then it was just, 'Go run'. He wanted us to be kids. He didn't want to train us like pros.' Advertisement In her early teens, she even paused from competitive running altogether, instead focusing on soccer (she was a right-winger), basketball and dance. Might she have made a career out of soccer? 'I think so,' she nods. 'If I had stuck with it. I loved it — not quite as much as track — but it was up there.' Track took over, as McLaughlin-Levrone won an under-18 World Championship at the age of 15 and then debuted in the Olympics at 16. When did she realize she might, to put it mildly, be onto something? 'In freshman year of high school, my first race was an indoors 300m. I broke the state record. I was like, 'OK, I think there's hope for you!' 'My parents used to say, 'You're special,' but I feel like parents are supposed to say that. But for me to see that come to fruition at 14, racing against some seniors, I was like, 'Wow, if I really train for this, I do think there's a future here.'' The exposure of the Olympics at just 16 brought rewards and pitfalls. She signed a six-year deal with New Balance. Agents and brands were quickly sniffing around. Her parents, she says, 'did a wonderful job of being that fence between me and all the other things.' Still, she acknowledges that returning to high school as an Olympian left her 'with a bit of a big head.' Expectations created pressure, and the path to the top had troughs as well as peaks, such as a stutter on the eighth hurdle at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where she finished third. 'I lived a lot of my life in fear,' she says. 'Fear of not pleasing the Lord, fear of not being loved by people, and I think that's why I gravitated so strongly towards track and field. I felt, if I was winning, I was being validated and people would like me and love me. But, obviously, you're not going to win every single race, you're not always going to have your best days. And so to put my trust, my hope and my identity in something that was changing was obviously never going to give me a firm foundation. Advertisement 'I used to get so anxious and so nervous that I would just be throwing up. I would be a mess, honestly. 'For me, winning was the only option and it caused things inside that I didn't know how to handle or deal with.' How did she deal with losing? 'Not very well. A lot of it felt like I wasn't valuable anymore. I felt like people didn't view me the same way, or I wasn't as special or whatever. And so it took quite a hit to my confidence, my view of myself. 'I would definitely would say I drew back. I was very closed off and didn't really talk. It was all in my head.' She says that during the pandemic, she felt 'the Lord tugging' on her heart. She had grown up in the church, but says she previously had an incomplete view of her faith, and that the gospel now gives her greater security. She's writing a book about what she describes as her journey from fear to faith, and her husband Andre is also training to become a pastor. 'Whether that's reading before races, listening to worship music or even praying before workouts, it brings peace,' she says. She still experiences nerves, and the restless nights, but she takes comfort in believing that 'it is already written, whatever's going to take place.' Her family, too, remain a key support. 'My dad always says, 'Be the butterfly, just go and do what you do.' After the race in Paris, my eldest brother said, 'I almost threw up watching you, that was stressful.'' 'It was a huge moment for our family to go from being our own little track team at AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) events to the Paris Olympics.' In Los Angeles in 2028, that pride will only increase. 'For the Olympics and for track to have been so strong back in the '80s and the '90s, it kind of fell off a little bit in the States with all the amazing sports that we have and the leagues that have just grown. For U.S. track athletes, L.A. 28 is a huge moment. It is just so special to have it here on home soil and to bring it back.' (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic;)
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How To Watch Grand Slam Track Philadelphia 2025: Stream Info, Schedule
Grand Slam Track commissioner and founder Michael Johnson was not shy about making changes halfway through his league's inaugural campaign, and so the third installment of the professional track series, which will land in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday and Sunday at Franklin Field, has shifted its approach. Gone are three days of track coverage spread across three television windows. In its place is a pared down schedule which includes two full days of action set for Grand Slam Track Philadelphia. As the series stop in Miami illustrated, that could bode well for performances event wide. However, there are some important scratches. Citius Mag reported Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell and reigning GST Miami short hurdles champion is out due to injury. While that may make the road to a Slam win a bit easier for Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone--who's dropping down in distance--it will dampen the mood. Late last week, we also wondered whether Fred Kerley would return to the meet after his arrest in Miami, though The New York Times reported the league has suspended Kerley until his legal situation is resolved. Wondering how and where to watch and what the major storylines will be? Like the first two series stops, this one will be no different. The two-day meet will stream from start to finish on Peacock and will broadcast live on the CW. Former ESPN anchor John Anderson and Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross will provide commentary, while a series of voices will round out the broadcast booth. Day 1 will air on Saturday, May 31 from 4 p.m. CST to 7 p.m. CST, while Day 2 will follow on Sunday, June 1 from 3 p.m. CST to 6 p.m. CST. Live results can be found on the event website at Grand Slam Track. You can't lose with either short hurdle category. In the men's field, Trey Cunningham enters on a supreme high following a career-best time of 13 seconds at Grand Slam Track Miami, which elevated the former Florida State star into another level. However, he wasn't even the fastest man on the day. Halfway across the world, Cordell Tinch became the fourth-fastest man in world history at the Diamond League Xiamen, clocking a ridiculous time of 12.87 seconds. Rarely this early in a track season do you find two athletes not only racing, but also battling for a massive amount of money. With the stakes that come from winning--and a $100,000 haul--these two surely will make the short hurdles a must-see event. The women's hurdle field, meanwhile, will feature Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who is dropping down in distance after two dominating efforts in the long hurdles category. The last time Queen Sydney ran the short hurdles? That effort came last May in California in a time of 12.71 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone owns a personal best of 12.65 for the distance. With Russell out, will Tia Jones – who ran 12.19 to finish second in Miami – cruise for the victory? Her performance in Miami was second in U.S. history and the third-fastest time ever recorded. And how about the men's sprints? Kenny Bednarek will go for the trifecta in Philadelphia – and he no doubt is in peak form after times of 9.79 and 19.84 in Miami -- though Christian Coleman and Christian Miller could offer some stiff opposition. Miller is the youngest participant in Grand Slam Track's (short) history. It makes sense that he's in Philadelphia, considering he owns the facility record at 9.95 seconds. Four athletes remain undefeated as champions of Grand Slam Track: Kenny Bednarek (short sprints), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (short sprints), Grant Fisher (long distance), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (long hurdles). Who will walk away with three straight wins? On paper, Fisher and Jefferson-Wooden may have the smoothest roads ahead. Fisher has proven to be a meticulous tactician in managing the long distance events (which have now scaled back to one event), though new entrants Nico Young and Graham Blanks could be thorns in his side. Jefferson-Wooden, meanwhile, will once again go up against GST Jamaica long sprints winner Gabby Thomas, though with her 100 meter prowess and outright balance, she may be too much for anyone to challenge. With the schedule pared down, all twenty-four track events will now be spread across two days. The men's and women's categories feature short distance (800 meters, 1,500 meters), long distance (3,000 meters), long hurdles (400 meter hurdles, 400 meters), short hurdles (100/110 meter hurdles, 100 meters), short sprints (100 meters, 200 meters) and long sprints (200 meters, 400 meters). Each category will feature eight athletes across two events. The winner of each category will take home $100,000, while the total prize pool is $262,500 in each discipline–with the exemption being long distance, which will feature half of the prize money following the elimination of the 5,000 meter run. The total pot across the remaining Grand Slam Track locations in Philadelphia and Los Angeles is $5.77 million. Men's Short Sprints: Kenny Bednarek, Zharnel Hughes, Andre De Grasse, Christian Miller, Christian Coleman, Bryan Levell, Udodi Onwuzurike and Aaron Brown. Men's Long Sprints: Matthew Hudson-Smith, Muzala Samukonga, Steven Gardiner, Alexander Ogando, Khaleb McRae, Matthew Boling, Jereem Richards and JeVaughn Powell. Men's Short Distance: Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr, Yared Nuguse, Marco Arop, Hobbs Kessler, Josh Hoey, Elliot Giles and Samuel Chapple. Men's Long Distance: Grant Fisher, Ronald Kwemoi, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ky Robinson, Edwin Kurgat, Andrew Coscoran, Graham Blanks and Nico Young. Men's Short Hurdles: Freddie Crittenden, Sasha Zhoya, Daniel Roberts, Trey Cunningham, Jakub Szymański, Lorenzo Simonelli, Cordell Tinch and Jamal Britt. Men's Long Hurdles: Alison dos Santos, Clément Ducos, Caleb Dean, Trevor Bassitt, Chris Robinson, CJ Allen, Assinie Wilson and Gerald Drummond. Women's Short Sprints: Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown, Daryll Neita, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Tamari Davis, Thelma Davis, Dina Asher-Smith, Jadyn Mays. Women's Long Sprints: Nickish Pryce, Alexis Holmes, Marileidy Paulino, Laviai Nielson, Jessika Gbai, Sharlene Mawdsley, Salwa Eid Naser and Isabella Whittaker. Women's Short Distance: Jess Hull, Nikki Hiltz, Diribe Welteji, Nia Akins, Abbey Caldwell, Addy Wiley, Mary Moraa and Georgia Hunter Bell. Women's Long Distance: Nozomi Tanaka, Tsige Gebreselama, Agnes Ngetich, Weini Kelati, Medina Eisa, Josette Andrews, Elise Cranny and Ejgayehu Taye. Women's Short Hurdles: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Ackera Nugent, Danielle Williams, Christina Clemons, Tonea Marshall, Megan Tapper, Ditaji Kambundji and Tia Jones. Women's Long Hurdles: Shamier Little, Rushell Clayton, Jasmine Jones, Ayomide Folorunso, Lina Nielson, Andrenette Knight, Anna Cockrell and Dalilah Muhammad.
Reuters
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Hurdles queen McLaughlin-Levrone to run first professional 100m flat at Grand Slam
NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuters) - American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will run her first professional 100 metres race at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meet that begins later this month, the athletics circuit said on Friday. The 400m hurdles world record holder and twice Olympic champion has kept a stranglehold on her signature event for several years, and swept the long hurdles groups at the first two Grand Slam meets in Kingston and Miami. She will drop down to the women's short hurdles group for the Philadelphia meet beginning on May 30, which comprises the 100m hurdles and the 100m flat, the latter of which she has never run in a professional setting. The Michael Johnson-fronted circuit offers a twist on traditional track meets, as athletes face off in 12 groups - men's and women's short sprints, long sprints, short hurdles, long hurdles, short distance and long distance - and compete in two races per meet. The points totals from those runs determine the champion of each group. The last time McLaughlin-Levrone took on the 100m flat was at a collegiate event in 2018 when she was a student at the University of Kentucky. She ran the distance in 11.07 seconds.
