Gabby Thomas shares insights on baton exchange with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 4x400m relay at Paris Olympics (Images: All via Getty)

"Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone came in so hot...almost ran me over" - Gabby Thomas opens up on her shaky baton exchange with the hurdler at Paris Olympics

Modified Oct 30, 2024 14:24 GMT

America's triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas shared insights this week into her shaky baton exchange with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone during the 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics. With the combined efforts of Thomas and McLaughlin-Levron, the American team set a new national record in the event.

This past August, Thomas made her mark in her second Olympic appearance in Paris, earning the first Olympic gold of her career by winning the 200m final with a time of 21.83 seconds. She then went on to win two more gold medals, in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. In the latter event, the American quartet, comprising Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Shamier Little, and Alexis Holmes, narrowly missed the world record by 0.10 seconds, finishing with a new American record of 3:15.27.

During that race, McLaughlin-Levrone ran her second leg in a blazing 47.71s, making it the fastest split ever by an American and the third fastest overall. She then handed the baton to Gabby Thomas for the third leg, where they had a slight mixup, but Team USA still managed to secure a famous victory at the Stade de France.

Reflecting on moments from the 4x400m, particularly her baton exchange with McLaughlin-Levrone, Thomas revealed that the team hadn't practiced for the event, and that was her first exchange with the hurdling icon.

Thomas said (via Why Not Me? Podcast with Mike Jackson),

"For that relay, we didn't get to practice at all, so that was my first time ever doing an exchange with Sydney, and I didn't realize how she was going to be coming in that fast. There is nobody in the world who can finish a 400 that fast. I've never seen that before in my life; she came in so hot I was like, she almost ran me over" [35:36].

Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone leading the charge in American track and field

Gaby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Olympic Games-Paris (Image via Getty)

Both Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have not only turned heads their way at the Paris Olympics, but the American athletic duo has also been making headlines beyond the track as they were both nominated for the 2024 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year award.

In addition, both came together for a New Balance commercial this week. In the ad, the duo exchange batons while posing for the cameras. Both Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone signed multimillion-dollar contracts with New Balance in 2018.