Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Athing Mu events set for championships
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone And Athen Muwhose multi-competition ability has made them some of the most accomplished track and field athletes in the world, will compete in one event each August Athletics World Championshipsher trainer Bobby Kersee told The Times – with McLaughlin-Levrone running the 400 meters and Mu the 800 meters, he said.
For 23-year-old McLaughlin-Levrone, the reigning Olympic and world 400-meter hurdles champion and the only woman to run under 51 seconds, it will be what may be a temporary departure from the event she has planned. When McLaughlin-Levrone, who trains with Mu as part of the Los Angeles-based Formula Kersee group, posted the 10th fastest time in history last week at 48.74 while winning the US 400 open race title, that threw reviving the question that has persisted since last summer, wondering if she would attempt to win gold in both seasons.
“In my opinion, the double doesn’t give us the necessary time and recovery to do both, and I think the bigger challenge would obviously be to find out how we can do in the 400 race,” said Kersee on Wednesday. “We won our national championships, which is hard to win and we did well, so I think we want to keep pushing the challenge.”
When asked if competing in the 400m hurdles was still part of McLaughlin-Levrone’s future, Kersee said it was “still part of the plan in terms of my future to coach her.”
“I think the 400m is a new discipline that we knew we were capable of competing at a high level and it shows we can do it,” he said. “I think we might as well continue the journey like this. It doesn’t mean we’re giving up the 400m hurdles or whatever goals we have in the future, which is to be Olympic champions in the 400m hurdles again or challenge the world record in the 400m hurdles or whatever. “
Mu, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist and last year’s world champion in the 800 meters, also qualified in the 1,500 meters at the US Championships in Eugene, Oregon last week by running a personal best of 13 seconds.
Athing Mu competes in the women’s 1500 meter dash July 6 during the US Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ashley Landis/Associated Press)
Kersee expressed disappointment that the tight schedule of the World Championships, held in Hungary from August 19-27, meant that both McLaughlin-Levrone and Mu were each able to compete in an event. World Athletics, the sport’s global governing body, is helping to define its championship schedule. To qualify for the 400 and 400 hurdles world championship finals, McLaughlin-Levrone would need to complete six races between August 20-24. The women’s 1,500m event will take place on August 19, 20th and 22nd, while the 800m event will take place on August 23rd, 25th and 27th.
“I’m a bit disappointed with both, whether it’s the Olympic Organizing Committee or whether it’s World Athletics or USA Track & Field, in our case that in our case they have historically allowed 400 and 800 doubles, 8 and 15 doubles, 200 and 400 doubles, and that’s in the record books,” said Kersee. “So I think if there are athletes who are capable of doing that, and if you’ve done it in the past, then I think in fairness the leaders of those organizations should look back to the ’70s and ’80s. 90’s and let’s say once we did and we had athletes again, wouldn’t it be fair to give those athletes in this new group the same challenges and maybe a unique doubles 400 as well? meters and the 400-meter hurdles?”
McLaughlin-Levrone is currently listed as a starter in a 400m event in Monaco on July 21 and should her training go well Kersee expects to start there in preparation. There is a possibility, he said, that Mu will not compete until the World Championships.
