Femke Bol did it. 400m hurdle- gold medal. But would it have happened if Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had been here? Bol did not flinch about the fact: “I most likely wouldn’t be here with gold medal.” After all, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone skipped the hurdles in Tokyo to focus on the 400m flat and became the fastest woman in 40 years running that distance. Meanwhile, Bol stepped up to the moment she was given and turned it into a coronation. Even after the race, her mind was already on the next season, and yes, that included McLaughlin-Levrone.

Moments after crossing the finish line in 51.54 seconds, ahead of Jasmine Jones and Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova, Bol faced the media. In a video shared by Citius Mag on YouTube, an interviewer asked, “So, do you want to race against her again in the 400 meters hurdles?” You might think she’d hesitate, but Bol didn’t: “Yeah, I hope so, for sure.” And there is the interesting part. These are two women in the entire world who have even dipped below 51 seconds in this event, but Bol is keen to take this challenge, despite being aware that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has largely had the advantage. But why?

Because she loves the fight against the best. “I really love to race her. She’s the best athlete to ever do it in my event. So I would’ve loved to do it. But I also love to see her do well on the 400m and show her capacities on this one.” she said. Not mere competitiveness, that is pure sportsmanship, the type of sportsmanship that admires a competitor, but never holds back. And that rivalry? Oh, it’s pure box-office. Tokyo 2020: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone took gold with a world record of 51.46, and Bol won bronze and a European record of 52.03. And in Paris? the exact same outcome

In Paris 2024, McLaughlin-Levrone had gone even more outrageous: 50.37 to take the repeat and Bol bronze once more, as usual. But this time, Bol is the one who has the gold. When asked how it felt lining up without McLaughlin-Levrone across the hurdles, she shrugged with honesty: “It’s strange because I’m used that she’s there when we are in a big tournament. Throughout the season I almost never see her, so that’s not really strange. But it was strange to see her race yesterday night, but it was amazing to see the way that she raced.”

Bol still could not stop thinking about her opponent, even on her biggest night. And perhaps it is the best part of it: although Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not there, Bol could take the victory, but it is her shadow that molded her into the athlete she was able to become. But, after all, Bol is a star when McLaughlin-Levrone is not in the race, and that is how she git famous.

Can Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone find her way back to the hurdles?

It began in 2023, when Femke Bol became a world champion. In Budapest, she took the 400m hurdle title with 51.70 to claim her first gold medal. The catch? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not in the starting line. She had pulled out only a few weeks earlier with a slight knee injury that she needed time to heal before Paris. Bol made the most of an opportunity, and yet people continued to regard McLaughlin-Levrone as the true monarch of the hurdles. And that poses an interesting question: why would the greatest ever leave her own throne to go and assume the 400m flat?

And to be fair, the resume speaks for itself. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shattered the 400m hurdles world record in 2022 with a 50.68, then somehow went even lower, 50.37 for gold in Paris 2024. That’s not dominance, that’s redefining what’s possible. But after achieving all this, why would the best ever step away from her own throne to take on the flat 400?McLaughlin-Levrone explained it herself: “I wanted to challenge myself in a different way. I wanted to show that you can put your mind to something and achieve it.” She admitted.

The reward was complete at the 2025 Worlds, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran 47.78 to take the 400m. And the ripple effect? It provided Bol with time to establish a name as a hero on her own. When asked, Femke Bol in a Citius Mag interview what advice she’d give if McLaughlin-Levrone asked whether to do the hurdles or the flat for the Olympics, Bol said, “Not likely to happen, I think. I would love to see her do both. I mean, if she feels physically ready for that, it would be amazing to see, because I think if someone could pull it off, it would be her. I would always love to race her on the hurdles. I mean, LA for her at home, so I’m sure she will decide what’s best for her.”

Well, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone hasn’t ruled out doubling in both events either. After winning the 400m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, she hinted at the 2028 Olympics: “We will need to talk about the schedule for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games — maybe I could do both 400m and 400m hurdles.” Her coach, Bobby Kersee, also believes it could be possible depending on the schedule and her condition. So what happens next? Well…we’ll just have to wait and watch.