The double Olympic champion clocked 52.07 at the second Grand Slam Track meet in Florida
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued her impressive form at Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league, delivering another commanding performance in the women’s 400m hurdles on Saturday night (May 3) in Miami.
Fresh off her Kingston triumph, where she claimed the Long Hurdles title by winning both the 400m flat and 400m hurdles, the Olympic champion returned as a Racer and wasted no time making her mark again. McLaughlin-Levrone clocked a world-leading 52.07 to take the win and earn the full 12 points toward her second consecutive Grand Slam title.
She now heads into Sunday’s 400m flat, an event where she holds a blistering personal best of 48.74, with the chance to secure another title and a second $100,000 payday.
After her race, McLaughlin-Levrone said: “This is what track and field needs. I’m excited to be a part of it and to be able to have it here in the States. We felt it in Jamaica, for sure, so now to have it here in Florida is really cool.
“The 400 hurdles is my baby, I’ve done it for so many years I hope it’s getting easier by now.”
Behind her, Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight finished second in 54.08, while American heptathlete Anna Hall—competing in her first 400m hurdles since June 2023—took third as a Challenger.
Hall impressed with a 54.43 finish, just 0.01 seconds off her personal best of 54.42. She’ll also be lining up for the 400m flat on Sunday, another event she hasn’t raced in two years, where she holds a PB of 50.82.
“That was really tiring but I feel relieved because I didn’t know what those last few hurdles would look like,” Hall said. “I hadn’t really had time to work on them. Today was actually really fun.”
Elsewhere on the track, Kenny Bednarek continued his Short Sprints dominance. After taking the Slam win in Kingston, the American sprint star flew out of the blocks in the 100m in Miami and claimed victory with a wind-assisted 9.79 (2.4). Jamaica’s Oblique Seville (9.84) and Ackeem Blake (9.85) followed close behind, while Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes rounded out a stacked top four in 9.87.
In the women’s Short Distance category, Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu kicked things off with a win in the 1500m, running 4:06.96 to take the 12 points heading into Sunday’s 800m. Behind her was Nikki Hiltz, who unleashed a strong closing kick and nearly caught Hailu, finishing just a fraction behind in 4:07.08.
Hiltz, who won the 800m in Kingston and finished second overall, is now in prime position to challenge for the top prize once again if they can repeat that 800m win in Miami.
Meanwhile, Trey Cunningham delivered a standout performance in the men’s Short Hurdles. The American equalled his personal best with a 13.00 (1.4) win in the 110m hurdles, making a strong statement in his first Grand Slam appearance as a Challenger.
Behind him, France’s Sasha Zhoya—who won the Kingston Slam title—continued his consistent run with a new personal best of 13.06 for second place and eight points. Zhoya also placed second in the hurdles in Jamaica and is known to be a strong contender in the 100m flat. If he performs well again, he could be in line to become another back-to-back Grand Slam Track champion.
The first four Grand Slam Miami champions were crowned on Saturday night. Click here to find out more.
