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"I know there was a bit of tussle" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on not being allowed to compete in Finals at Brussels Diamond League
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has claimed that she thought she could run in the Diamond League Finals in Brussels but was denied entry later. The organizers instead announced two special races for the world record holder, women's 200m Invitational and 400m Invitational, both of which she won afterward.
McLaughlin-Levrone was initially announced to compete in the Diamond League Finals in 200m and 400m. As the news spread, several fans protested the decision, claiming that giving the American athlete a place in the Diamond League Finals was unfair when she wasn't eligible.
The protest resulted in the Brussels Diamond League clarifying that McLaughlin-Levrone would not run in the Final events. Two new events were added to the roster and the four-time Olympic champion went on to dominate both of them, winning 200m in 22.40s while clocking 49.11s in 400m.
Following her victory in 200m on 14 September, McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about the initial drama surrounding her participation in the event. The 25-year-old claimed that she believed she could run in the finals, but was later told that she couldn't. Nonetheless, she was still grateful for getting to compete in the Invitational races.
"I think after Paris we kind of assessed and mentally and physically we were feeling good. And so that's kind as an athlete where you decide , I want to do another race and I felt like I wanted to. So I was excited. I know there there was a little bit of a tussle about whether I could run the final or not. I was under the impression I could and I understand they came back and said no. That's fine. It is what it is. Grateful they still found a way for me to run and be here and just enjoying some waffles," she said.
With her two races at the Brussels Diamond League, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone announced the end of her 2024 season, which saw her break the 400m hurdles world record twice and win two Olympic gold medals.
Why was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ineligible to compete in the Diamond League Finals?
Entries in the Diamond League Finals are given through the points accumulated by athletes over 14 meets spread across the season. Points are given in descending order from '8' to the top finisher to '1' to the 8th place finisher, and athletes with the highest points at the end of the season qualify for the finals.
Another way of qualifying for the finals is through the wild card entry which is given to the Olympic or World Champions but they still need to have competed at least in one of the 14 Diamond League meets.
While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened her season in April, the same time around which the Diamond League season started, she didn't compete in any of the league's meets throughout the season, making her ineligible for both the direct entry through points and wild card entry.
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