2024 Edwin Moses Legends Meet: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone runs world lead in first 400m hurdles race of the year

Two-time Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruised to victory in women’s 400m hurdles at the Edwin Moses Legends Meet on Friday 31 May.

The world record holder ran a quick, but comfortable time of 52.70 seconds to go under the entry standard for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Of course, she will still need to secure selection for Team USA at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials from 21-30 June in Eugene, Oregon.

Her time was enough to take the world lead in the women’s 400m hurdles, but her time atop the leaderboard may be short-lived as Dutch world champion Femke Bol is scheduled to open her season on Sunday 2 June at the 2024 Stockholm Diamond League.

Still, McLaughlin-Levrone looked incredibly comfortable and composed during her first 400m hurdles race in over a year. Despite making a tough race look easy, McLaughlin-Levrone felt there was still work to be done ahead of Paris 2024.

She told a reporter from the American Track League, “We haven’t had much hurdle practice, so there’s a lot to improve.”

The American hurdling star may have left the meet with more than practical knowledge, however, as she had the chance to speak with fellow two-time Olympic champion Edwin Moses.

Moses reigned supreme in the men’s 400m hurdles from 1977 to 1987. The meet’s namesake won over 120 races in his career and set the world record on three separate occasions.

It’s uncertain what advice, if any, he passed on to McLaughlin-Levrone during their brief conversation after her victory, but the exchange will likely be invaluable to her nonetheless.

Should she be selected for the U.S. team, McLaughlin-Levrone will attempt to surpass Moses’ medal total at Paris 2024.