For the second time in a row, Femke Bol knew the sure-shot result of her 400m hurdle at the World Athletics Championships even before the pistol was fired. Months ahead of the race at the year’s biggest stage, her rival would swap events to get out of her comfort zone. The same one who had exited the 2023 championships due to an injury. It was a gold finish for the Dutch sprinter then, and a gold finish today. Bol seemed almost uncontested.

Across half a decade, while the 25-year-old set her personal bests and national records in 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone always went one better. Bol lost thrice on the biggest of stages against the world record holder (50.37)– At the Tokyo Olympics,  the 2022 Eugene World Championships, and the Paris Olympics. It proved to be a rivalry that shaped the event and the athletes themselves. So when McLaughlin-Levrone pulled out of the hurdles to focus on 400m flat, Bol called it “a bit of a disappointment” and “a shame.” The sentiment hasn’t changed even after she secured her second world title.

When asked if she would have rather gone up against McLaughlin-Levrone in the world final, Bol’s response showed a great deal of respect. “I most likely wouldn’t be here with gold medal, but I really love to race. She’s the best athlete to ever do it in my event, so I would have loved to do it,” she admitted in the post-race interview.

McLaughlin-Levrone holds six of the top 10 records in the 400m hurdles, including the top 3. She’s also known to take 14 strides in between the hurdles as opposed to the traditional 15, setting her apart. It is likely that the reigning Olympic champion would have denied Bol her title, but the 5x Olympic gold medalist outperformed herself to slap a ‘deserved’ tag on her place on the podium.

Bol had set a world lead time of 51.91 a month ago. At the Japan National Stadium, she broke that to set the new fastest time in the world this year — 51.54.

In McLaughlin-Levrone’s absence, the 25-year-old still found herself on a competitive field. Paris Olympics silver medallist Anna Cockrell and Rio 2016 champion, Dalilah Muhammad, included. But the next best time on the track on September 19th was USA’s Jasmine Jones’ 52.08. Emma Zapletalová followed with 53.00. Following the celebrations, the Dutch hurdler did not deny that she missed having her rival on the field.

“It’s strange because I’m used to… She’s there when we are in a big tournament throughout the season,” Bol added. Nonetheless, she’s excited to see McLaughlin-Levrone explore the new event and be good at it. “It was strange to see her race yesterday night, but it was amazing to see the way that she raced,” the 25-year-old admitted. The rivalry was surely missed at the championships, but two different events witnessed history in the making.

With her win, Bol got on par with Sifan Hassan as the most decorated Dutch athlete in World Championships history. On the other end, McLaughlin-Levrone got a step closer to a record set by the Jamaican legend Usain Bolt.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is getting into the big leagues

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone snagged the gold medal in the 400m. Now, she’s got three global individual Championships Records under her belt. Those are the highest scores set at the Olympics or World Championships! Her world and Olympic records for the 400-meter hurdles stand at 50.37 seconds, which was set during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then there’s the world championship record for the same event at 50.68 seconds, established at the 2022 Eugene. And let’s not forget the fresh record for the 400-meter dash, clocking in at 47.78 seconds — fastest in 40 years — achieved in Tokyo.

This achievement places her in a unique circle, with just two athletes in history having more records: Usain Bolt and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, each of whom holds four. At the 2009 Berlin Worlds, the Jamaican clocked 9.58 seconds for the 100-meter and 19.19 seconds for the 200-meter, respectively. At the 2012 London Olympics, he ran a 9.63-second 100-meter and a 36.84-second 4×100-meter relay, which he also holds as his four championship records.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is also pretty amazing, holding four Olympic records! She set one for the long jump at 7.40 meters during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and then there’s her heptathlon record of 7,044 points from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Oh, and let’s not forget her world record in the heptathlon with 7,291 points, also from the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s journey into this elite trio showcases her incredible versatility and strength across a variety of events. She knows how to break records in both the hurdles and the flat 400-meter, showcasing her skills and versatility as an athlete. And all of these stats just make her prospect for the LA Olympics more interesting!