Marileidy Paulino, the reigning Olympic and world champion, extended her impressive unbeaten streak in the women’s 400m by securing victory at the first day of the Diamond League finals in Brussels on Friday. The Dominican Republic athlete clocked a time of 49.45 seconds, further solidifying her dominance in the one-lap competition. Her winning time, however, was surpassed by the formidable Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in an invitational race. McLaughlin-Levrone, the American world record holder in the 400m hurdles, had not competed in a Diamond League event this season due to eligibility requirements for the finals. Undeterred, the organizers invited McLaughlin-Levrone, a double Olympic gold medalist in Paris, to Belgium for invitational 200m and 400m races, recognizing her remarkable achievements. McLaughlin-Levrone arrived in Belgium with the fourth fastest time of the year in the 400m, having clocked 48.75 seconds in New York in June. Despite the anticipation, she couldn’t improve on her personal best, but still secured a comfortable victory in the invitational race with a time of 49.11 seconds.
McLaughlin-Levrone explained her absence from European meets earlier this year, stating that her focus is always on major championships. “My season always revolves around the major championships, and I put together my programme with my coach Bob Kersee based on those,” she said. “Additionally, I already have to be in top form at the US trials to be allowed to go to the Olympics at all. So, attending meetings in Europe in between is not obvious, transcontinental trips are quite tiring.” However, she hinted at a possible change in strategy for next year, with the World Championships scheduled in Tokyo in mid-September. “Perhaps that will open up more opportunities to run in Europe, but we’ll see,” she added. McLaughlin-Levrone’s invitational 200m race is scheduled for Saturday at 17:53 GMT (23:23 IST), 20 minutes before the Diamond League final proper. The anticipation is high to see if McLaughlin-Levrone can continue her winning streak in the shorter distance.
