Sanya Richards-Ross expresses pride as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaks her 19-year-old American record at World Athletics Championships

Former sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross sent a heartfelt message to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on social media after McLaughlin-Levrone managed to break her 400m national record at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. McLaughlin-Levrone recorded a time of 48.29 seconds, breaking Richards-Ross' record of 48.70 seconds set back in 2006. Thanks to her impressive performance, McLaughlin-Levrone advanced to the finals of the 400m which will be held on Friday, September 19th.

McLaughlin-Levrone has had an impressive 2025 season so far, and will look to add another World Championships title to her name this week. She earned her spot at the World Championships by recording an impressive time of 48.90 seconds to finish first at the national championships. McLaughlin-Levrone has four World Championship medals to her name, with her last two coming at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon.

In a story shared on Instagram, Sanya Richards-Ross shared a message for McLaughlin-Levrone after she broke her national record:

"On the 19th anniversary of one of my greatest track and field accomplishments, the great @sydneymclaughlin16 takes it! Super proud of our legacy and hers,"

Still taken from Richards-Ross' Instagram (Source: @sanyarichiross/Instagram)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has also competed at multiple Grand Slam Track meetings this year, winning the 400m at the Kingston meeting.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on transitioning to the 400m flat from hurdles

McLaughlin-Levrone at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently discussed her transition to the 400m flat from the 400m hurdles. In an interview with Olympics.com, she said:

"It's very rewarding to step out of my comfort zone. I want to be the best well-rounded athlete I can be, and this is one of those challenges that I think I had been putting off for myself. I wanted to step out in a different way. [Pushing] myself in a way that I haven't before [has] been exciting. It's challenging but... I'm excited to see where it continues to go."

She also discussed the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and the prospect of competing:

"To be able to run in the Coliseum would be just such an honor. I think that's what motivates me, [but] we've got to take one year at a time, one day at a time, and one step at a time... but just keeping that in the back of my mind keeps me, for sure, looking toward it."

McLaughlin-Levrone will be targeting a fifth Olympic gold medal in LA, after grabbing two at the Paris Olympics in the 4x400m Relay.

Edited by Harshvardhan Shankar