Too Much, Too Soon? The Case Against Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Grand Slam
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has always done things differently. Since her teenage years, when she burst onto the global scene with long strides and poise well beyond her age, she’s built her brand on rarity. She races sparingly. She speaks selectively. She wins consistently. And when she competes, it feels like an event. But this spring, her calendar has looked unusually crowded, and it’s all because of her early and exclusive commitment to Grand Slam Track.
The move raised eyebrows for a superstar whose value has long been tied to scarcity. Grand Slam Track, a new series founded by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, promises a more structured, fan-centric racing format. There are just four meets. The marketing is beautiful. The money is outrageous in the context of Track. But was it the right fit for an athlete like Sydney?
So far, she’s competed in all four races held by the series: two in Kingston in early April and two in Miami in early May. In those outings, she clocked a 52.76 and a 52.07 in the 400m hurdles, along with 50.32 and 49.69 in the flat 400m. Good marks. World-class, even. But this is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Expectations are always higher when it comes to her.
Through the years, Sydney has managed her competition schedule with extreme care. She’s never been a volume racer. Instead, she’s made each appearance feel like a must-watch moment. When she stepped on the track, fans expected brilliance. That anticipation wasn’t just about the race, it was part of her brand. Her silence between competitions made the few moments she did race feel all the more significant.
That’s what makes her commitment to Grand Slam Track puzzling. For the first time, she’s not just participating in a regular circuit, she’s headlining one. And unlike the Diamond League, where athletes pick and choose appearances, the Grand Slam format locks its top athletes into all four meets. With two already in the books, she’s now expected in Philadelphia and Los Angeles later this summer.
More races mean more exposure, more chances for fans to connect, and more earnings for the athletes. And no doubt, Grand Slam Track has been good to her financially. She’s already taken home around $200,000 from just two events.
But for Sydney, this might be a case of too much, too soon.
She has always been more aligned with the model of top-tier athletes in other sports. Think about boxers, who might fight once or twice a year. Or even basketball stars who play 82 games but pick their moments to shine. With Sydney, it’s never been about showing up often. It’s about showing up when it matters, and delivering something unforgettable.
Sha’Carri Richardson hasn’t raced once this year, yet her name still trends regularly. She remains a magnet for attention, precisely because fans know her next appearance will be loud, bold, and unmissable. Sydney operates in a quieter register, but her pull is just as powerful. She doesn’t need 15 races a season to prove she’s the best. Her reputation is already cemented. And her marketability? That’s been earned through grace, dominance, and a clear sense of when to say yes and when to hold back.
This year, however, she’s already run four races by the first week of May. If she completes the Grand Slam, competes at the U.S. Trials, and then at the World Championships themselves, she could be looking at double-digit competitions for the season. That’s a high number for a track athlete of her stature. Especially one whose performances have always benefited from patience and timing.
To be fair, the variety in her racing schedule, dabbling in both the flat 400 and her signature hurdles, suggests she’s experimenting, perhaps preparing for a future shift. And Grand Slam Track does offer a more athlete-centric structure than the traditional circuit. But that doesn’t mean it was the right platform for her, especially not right now.
McLaughlin-Levrone is one of the few athletes in track and field who doesn’t need constant competition to stay relevant. Her brand was built on being different on making us wait. And when we waited, we were rewarded. Grand Slam Track may be a new chapter for the sport, but for Sydney, the cost of constant visibility might be a slow erosion of what made her feel so untouchable in the first place.
