Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finished second in her first 400m meet in five years

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has put the women’s 400m field on alert: she’s here to challenge the best.

Friday evening (June 9) at Paris Diamond League track and field meet, the American 400-meter hurdles world record holder sent a loud message, making a quick start out of the blocks in his first tie-breaking race in nearly five years.

However, the Dominican Republic Mary Lady Paulinoworld and Olympic silver medallist, caught McLaughlin-Levrone at the final corner before pulling ahead on the straight to take victory in a meet record 49.12.

“I felt great during the race. I had kind of a bad start, but I was able to come back to the race in the second half and especially at the end,” Paulino said after the race.

Nevertheless, McLaughlin-Levrone, who has made it clear that she is aiming for success with her remarkable performances over the 400m hurdles, made her mark, clocking 49.71 seconds in her outdoor season debut, having not competed since the indoor 60m. Boston in February,

Her coach, the legendary Bob Kersee, has suggested that McLaughlin-Levrone has the ability to challenge the world record (47.60).

Given his remarkable performances over hurdles and this enticing performance today, even if it doesn’t end up winning, few doubt he will certainly come close.