It wasn’t the usual glamorous performance, but world and Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made her season debut at the 2024 Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday, April 20. The American 400m hurdles world record holder began her season with a low-key performance, contributing as part of a 4x100m relay quartet.
Joining the likes of Keni Harrison, Jenna Prandini, and Morolake Akinosun, McLaughlin-Levrone ran on the second leg of the Formula Kersee team, which clocked a time of 42.93 seconds for second place in the sprint relay event dominated by the powerhouse Team International. This team posted a world-leading time for the title.
The star-studded victorious squad included Dina Asher-Smith, Rhasidat Adeleke, Lanae Tava-Thomas, and Julien Alfred. The quartet was quite unstoppable from the opening leg, crossing the finishing line at an impressive 42.03 seconds, bettering the previous world lead of 42.25 by a USA team at the Texas Relays in March.
Team International’s winning time also surpassed the previous meeting record of 42.12, set in 2017 by the Oregon Ducks.
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Saturday’s race marked McLaughlin-Levrone’s first outing since she won the women’s 400m title with a lifetime best of 48.74 seconds at the USATF Outdoor Championships last July.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast clocked 43.17 seconds for third place in the 4x100m at the 2024 Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday, while USC finished fourth with 43.47 and Oregon completed the top five spots with a time of 43.63.
In the meantime, USC, anchored by Johnnie Blockburger, won the men’s 4x100m title, posting 38.77 seconds to beat Thailand, which crossed at 38.85, while South Florida (39.33) in third and Arizona (39.39) in fourth, also broke 40 seconds.