Every sport needs a rivalry, right? That spicy, edge-of-your-seat drama that makes every showdown feel like a blockbuster sequel. Jordan had his Pistons. Serena had her Sharapova. And in track and field? Well, people really want Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol to be at each other’s throats and also put Delilah from New York in the mix. But here’s the kicker—Sydney ain’t buying it.

Sydney’s Take: The Media Loves a Rivalry, but does she?

On February 20th, the 400-meter hurdles world record holder and Olympic gold medalist sat down on the ‘Grand Track Slams’ podcast, ‘Spill the Tee with Tiara Williams,’ and spilled all the tea. When Tiara threw the question straight at her, “I feel like your rivals are kinda forced on you. Do you see a rivalry?” Sydney didn’t hesitate for a second.

“I respect all of my competitors, and I know that there are some very fast women in this sport. Some of the rivalry talk sometimes gets to a point where it almost turns into, like, hatred, and that’s what I don’t like. If you saw the conversations behind closed doors, it’s nothing but respect.” Now, let’s get one thing straight—Sydney isn’t saying she doesn’t have competition. Oh, she definitely does. She’s been smashing world records like they’re made of glass, and guess who’s usually right behind her? Femke Bol and Dalilah Muhammad. But according to her, the whole idea of some bitter, win-at-all-costs rivalry? That’s just media spin.

Over the last 3 years, Sydney has rewritten history, breaking the 400m hurdles world record 6 times. And three of those record-breaking runs came at the expense of her so-called “rival” Femke Bol. The Dutch sensation has been chasing Sydney down like a heat-seeking missile, but is there actual bad blood? Not so much.

Sydney’s first face-off with Bol at the Tokyo Olympics was anything but a grudge match. Back then, Sydney was still getting comfortable in her own dominance, still perfecting her technique, still locking in that big-dawg energy. But with coach Bob Kersee pushing her limits, she pulled off the win—and set a new world record while doing it. The next time they met? It was the 2022 World Championships, and this time, Sydney wasn’t just fast. She was literally an A-train type of fast. She clocked an absurd 50.68 seconds, shaving 0.73 seconds off her previous record. Femke? She ran a season-best 52.27, which was incredible—but nowhere near enough.

And yet, Sydney still felt the pressure. Not because of any supposed rivalry, but because she was battling something deeper: her expectations. Before that race, she admitted to wrestling with her emotions, trying to push past the mental noise. But when the moment came, she locked in. “This was it. I felt it as if this was the last race I’d ever run,” she wrote in her book Far Beyond Gold. And when she crossed that finish line, she knew. She had just left everyone in the dust. Look, it’s only a rivalry if it’s either 1-1 or maybe 2-0. But there’s NO rivalry when you are up 3-0. Period.

What Her “Rivals” Actually Think About Her

But what does Femke Bol think about all this? If you were expecting some icy, passive-aggressive response, you’re in for a surprise. “I ran against the best in the world. Sydney is just very strong. She was so far in front at the end, so I was always doubting if I really had a good race because it felt very good,” Bol admitted after the 2022 World Championships. “Then I saw the time, and I was like, ‘Wow.’ It is amazing to be a part of it and to come out second in such a race.” Respect. That’s what this so-called ‘rivalry’ is built on.

And then there’s Dalilah Muhammad—the OG queen of the 400m hurdles. If there was a rivalry Sydney had to take personally, it was this one. Dalilah handed Sydney one of the toughest losses of her career at the 2019 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships, where she shattered the world record, clocking in at 52.20 seconds. Sydney? She finished at 52.88, a full step behind.

That one stung. And Sydney was not okay. “In the fall of 2019, I pinned my happiness on two things: my performance on the track and the return of a boyfriend,” she later admitted. When she lost in Doha at the World Championships that year, she went searching for comfort in all the wrong places. But instead of letting it break her, she let it fuel her. The next time she faced Dalilah? It was a Disney-esque ending story. She took the record, the gold, and the crown.

So, is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone locked in some bitter rivalry with Bol and Muhammad? Not even close. If anything, her biggest competitor has always been herself. While the world loves a good rivalry narrative for clicks and views, Sydney sees the sport differently. It’s not about beating someone else—it’s about being the best version of herself. “I executed the race the way Bobby (Kersee, her coach) wanted me to. I knew coming home that if I just kept my cadence and stayed on stride pattern, we could do it, and it happened,” she reflected after yet another world record-breaking run.

And let’s be real—when you’re that far ahead of the pack, can you even call it a rivalry anymore? Maybe the real story here isn’t Sydney vs. Femke or Sydney vs. Dalilah. Maybe it’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone vs. history itself.

And so far? History doesn’t stand a chance.