Do the Olympic schedule makers actually watch the Olympics? Given how they just ruined one of the biggest potential storylines of the Los Angeles Games, that is a question that plenty who love track and field are asking.
The schedule, which was released this week, would make it impossible for Dunellen native Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to chase an unprecedented “double” in the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles in 2028 — and her personal coach is fuming.
“We’re a sport fighting for attention. So why do you make this decision?” Bob Kersee told The Orange County Register. “This shows the weakness of our sport. We’ve got the stars but we don’t get any help from the top.”
McLaughlin-Levrone is already history’s greatest at the 400-meter hurdles. Following her decorated career at Union Catholic High, she won the 2021 and 2024 gold medals in that event and lowered the world record six times. She was racing against the clock — and herself — when she cruised to victory at the Paris Olympics.
It was no surprise, then, that she has sought new events to conquer. She won the gold medal in the flat 400 at the World Championships in Tokyo in September in 47.78 seconds, the second-fastest time ever and an American record.
The goal was no secret: To attempt to win gold in both races in Los Angeles, a feat that would require a little help from the schedule makers. Instead, the flat 400 final are in the same session as the 400 hurdles, leaving no realistic chance at attempting both.
In case you think it would be unprecedented to build the schedule for one athlete, think again. Officials have adjusted the track schedule for superstars before, including at the 1996 Atlanta Games to accommodate Michael Johnson’s successful attempt become the first man to win the 200 and 400 gold medals in the same Olympics.
It is possible, if not likely, that organizers could change their minds in the run-up to Los Angeles if McLaughlin-Levrone petitions the IOC. According to LetsRun.com:
The good news is that there is precedent for World Athletics changing the schedule for its biggest stars. They flipped the 1996 schedule to help (Michael) Johnson double after he requested it, and did the same for Allyson Felix in the 200/400 in 2016 (though she wound up missing the team in the 200). Within the sport, SML is certainly a star on par with those names. If she went to USATF and World Athletics and requested that they change the schedule so that she can do the 400/400H in LA, there is a good chance they would listen.
World Athletics boasted that the schedule could allow for potential doubles in several events, including 100/200, 800/1500, 1500/5000, and 5000/10,000 with no overlaps. It even cited McLaughlin-Levrone in its statement.
“This opens the door for stars such as Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden to emulate the heroics of LA 1984 Olympic legend Carl Lewis, while also enabling middle- and long-distance doubles reminiscent of past Olympic greats,” the statement read.
Is it possible that the people in charge at World Athletics wasn’t paying close enough attention to which events McLaughlin-Levrone — arguably the biggest track star in the world — was targeting? After seeing this party-pooper of a schedule, anything is possible.
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