From the stands, Andre Levrone watched intently as the athletes lined up for the 400m final. In lane five was his wife, stepping out of her comfort zone — and into history.
This was billed as one of the races of the championships: three women at the peak of their powers, all but untouchable. The outcome would take something extraordinary. And extraordinary it was. Inside a packed Japan National Stadium, 57,000 fans witnessed something the sport hadn’t seen in nearly four decades: a woman breaking 48 seconds in the 400m.
Watching his wife fidget on the line with her trademark gestures, Andre’s anxious look might have suggested Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was nervous. But when the gun went off, she was all business.
She said afterwards “I knew a lot of people doubted me making the switch from the 400m hurdles to the flat 400m,” “But I had faith in my training. I knew I had it in me — it was just a matter of time. I knew this feeling would be amazing.”
Tokyo was, in many ways, a homecoming. Back in 2021 she had won her first Olympic gold here in the 400m hurdles — in front of empty stands due to the pandemic. This time, she ran in front of a deafening crowd that felt almost like family, cheering her as if she were back in New Jersey.
Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion, blasted out of lane seven, setting a fierce early pace. On the outside, Marileidy Paulino — the defending champion from Budapest — struggled without visual markers in lane nine.
Paulino admitted “Lane nine didn’t help me much as I ran without any reference,” . By the final bend, the stadium was a wall of sound. Three women came off the curve together, but McLaughlin-Levrone glided effortlessly ahead, Paulino chasing hard, and Naser fading.
McLaughlin-Levrone powered through the line in 47.78, the fastest time in 39 years and just 0.18 off Marita Koch’s world record. Paulino followed in 47.96 — also under 48 seconds — but had to settle for silver. Naser claimed bronze with a season’s best of 48.19.
In the stands, Andre’s tense expression transformed into unbridled joy as applause shook the arena.
“I’m grateful to have put myself in that position,” McLaughlin-Levrone said after her lap of honour. “At the end of the day, this wasn’t my title to defend. It was mine to win.”
Paulino, though beaten, was optimistic: “I’m happy with my season. To have broken 48 seconds gives me faith I can go after the world record.”
Naser, though disappointed with bronze, reflected on perspective: “I wanted to win because I worked so hard, but it’s still a blessing to come away with a medal in the race of the year.”
EYES ON LOS ANGELES With the Tokyo crowd still buzzing, McLaughlin-Levrone already looked to the future — and the possibility of doubling up at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. “We’ll have to look at the schedule,” she said with a smile. “Maybe I could do both the 400m and 400m hurdles. I’d need some recovery days in between, and both events have tough fields.” Whether with hurdles or without, one thing is clear: the 400m is her playground.
