The 400m hurdles world record holder and multiple Olympic champion will not take part in the main program of the Diamond League, but will finish his season in the Belgian capital.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levron will run in both the 200m and 400m in Brussels, but she will not be part of the Diamond League main event.
Organizers of the Van Damme Memorial Meeting have added “two special races” to their schedule to “honor Sydney’s remarkable achievements, including her unforgettable 400m steeplechase world record in Paris”.
Those 400m and 200m events will take place on September 13 and September 14, respectively.
The Brussels Diamond League made the announcement earlier this week McLaughlin-Levron competed in the Belgian capital.
However, the meeting was unclear as to whether he would be involved in the events leading up to the Diamond League or the main program itself.
In order for the 25-year-old to receive a global wild card for the main program, the rules stipulated that she had to compete in the Diamond League this season.
McLaughlin-Levron has not competed in the diamond league since last July, when she ran 49.71 in the 400m in Paris.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levron (Getty)
It resulted Diamond League CEO Petr Stastny said he was “inadmissible” compete in official 200m and 400m races.
To clarify the situation, Memorial Van Damme has now stated: “To avoid any confusion or misunderstanding, we can confirm that Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levron will compete in the Allianz Van Damme Memorial, but not as part of the Wanda Diamond. Race to the League Finals.”
That means McLaughlin-Levron will get a chance to show off her incredible speed on the flat 200m and 400m.
The American won her second Olympic gold medal in the 400m hurdles in Paris, breaking her own world record of 50.37, and was also part of the US women’s 4x400m team that topped the podium.
Although she’s focused mostly on the hurdles when it comes to the majors, McLaughlin-LeVron is also the second-fastest U.S. female athlete in a lap, thanks to a 48.74 she ran at Hayward Field last July.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levron (Getty)
It’s also currently her 12th on the all-time 400m list, and if she goes any faster, Sania Richards-Ross’s US record of 48.70 will surely be over.
McLaughlin-Levron has a personal best of 22.07 in the 200m, which she set in Los Angeles back in May.
The two-day meet in Brussels gives the U.S. athlete and others a chance to double up on certain events over the weekend.
Non-diamond league competitions usually have weaker fields, however, it will be interesting to see who the organizers put in the fields.
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