The Diamond League Meeting in Brussels race organisers have confirmed that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will still compete in the 200m and 400m but her races will not be part of the circuit.
This comes after McLaughlin-Levrone was found ineligible to compete in the final after failing to meet the requirements of being included in the Diamond League Meeting final.
The 400m hurdles world record holder will now have the special races, with the meet organisers noting that they will be out to honour her remarkable achievements on the track this season.
In a post on their Instagram page, they said: “To avoid any confusion or misunderstanding, we do confirm that 400m hurdles Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be competing at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, but not as part of the Wanda Diamond League Final races.”
“To honour Sydney’s remarkable achievements, including her unforgettable 400m hurdles world record in Paris, we’ve added two special races. She will run the 400m on Friday and the 200m on Saturday at 19h53.”
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The reigning Olympic 400m hurdles champion was initially entered in the 200m and 400m in the main programme but an online uproar led to her being removed from that as she had not met the required standards to be entered as a wild card.
According to the Diamond League Meeting rules, for a global wildcard to be issued, the athlete must have participated in at least one Diamond League meeting in the course of the season. In her case, McLaughlin-Levrone had not competed in any of the races prior to the final.
She has enjoyed a stellar season thus far, coming off an injury that prevented her from defending her world title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
However, she bounced back at the Paris Olympic Games to claim the win in the women’s 400m hurdles, setting a new world record.
