Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone vs Salwa Eid Naser vs Marileidy Paulino: How 400m elite fared in their World Championships 2025 opener

Marileidy Paulino, Salwa Eid Naser and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are three of the runners who qualified for the 400m flat finals at the World Athletics Championships 2025. The three runners are also considered major favorites for the podium finishes at the Worlds undergoing in Tokyo.

The three athletes delivered brilliant performances in their respective World Championships heats, with McLaughlin-Levrone clocking 49.41s in Heat 3, Naser recording 49.13s in Heat 5 and Paulino achieving 49.85s in Heat 6, to top their respective heats. With that, they earned automatic qualification for the 400m semifinals, scheduled on September 16.

While Paulino is the defending world champion in the 400m, having won gold at the Budapest World Championships, Naser previously claimed the title at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha. Paulino and Naser are also the Paris Olympics gold and silver medalists, respectively, in the event, making them serious threats to other competitors in the distance.

Meanwhile, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who has dominated the 400m hurdles for years, is making a strong statement in the flat event. She is currently ranked behind Naser (48.67s) and Paulino (48.81s) on the 2025 world-leading list, with a season’s best of 48.90s, clocked in the final of the USA Championships, where she secured her spot for the World Championships.

The finals of the women's 400m event at the Worlds will take place on September 18.

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How choosing 400m flat ahead of 400m hurdles has helped Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone grow?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at World Athletics Championships 2025. Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has opened up about how running the 400m flat has helped her grow as an athlete. She described the 400m as an event that requires more mental strength than the hurdles, although she admitted missing the 400m hurdles at times.

For the 2025 season, the American is experimenting with the flat 400m. Ahead of the World Athletics Championships 2025, she spoke to Olympics.com about the differences between the two events, stating:

“The 400 is just more of a mental game than the hurdles. You would think, you know, hurdling - the steps, [but] there's a lot more thinking involved [in the 400m flat]. I miss the hurdles a little bit when I'm running. But it's been a mental gain. And I think that's pushed me as an athlete to have to grow in ways that maybe I didn't think I needed to.”

Besides her feature at the Worlds, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also competed at the Prefontaine Classic, making her debut at the Diamond League meet, which she won with a time of 49.43s.

Edited by Abhiruchi Rout