After a week of confusion surrounding her eligibility at the Diamond League finale, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will finish her season in Brussels — but not as part of the main program.
Organizers of the Allianz Memorial van Damme, the last event of the Diamond League season, initially confirmed that McLaughlin-Levrone would run the 200m and 400m double during the meet on September 13 and 14. However Diamond League head Petr Stastny reversed course on Thursday and ruled that she was ineligible to participate.
McLaughlin-Levrone has not competed in any Diamond League meets this year and did not meet the requirement to appear in next week’s final. If the 25-year-old ran in just one league race this year, she would have been eligible for one of four wild card slots.
Still, according to meet organizers, McLaughlin-Levrone will appear in Brussels as part of two additional races that have been placed on the meet schedule.
“To avoid any confusion or misunderstanding, we do confirm that 400m hurdles Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be competing at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, but not as part of the Wanda Diamond League Final races,” a statement from meet organizers read. “To honor Sydney’s remarkable achievements, including her unforgettable 400m hurdles world record in Paris, we’ve added two special races.”
For now, a week of some confusion over McLaughlin-Levrone’s participation in the Diamond League final is over.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s presence at Diamond League events has been rare and her last appearance was in the 400m in Paris in July 2023 when she placed second in 49.71 seconds.
But, the added races in Brussels means that fans will get to see McLaughlin-Levrone one last time this year. She put on an electric performance at the Paris Olympics last month, breaking her own breaking her own world record in 50.37 in the women’s 400m hurdles. She also struck gold as part of Team USA’s 4x400m relay team.
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