Jacory Patterson Stays Hot In Men's 400 Meters, Wins Title With 44.16

By Lori Shontz for DyeStat

Becky Holbrook photos

EUGENE - This is how good Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is, and how high the expectations are:

She cruised to a victory in the 400 meters Saturday afternoon at the USATF Championships, running a season-best 48.90, finishing 0.7 seconds ahead of runner-up Isabella Whittaker and falling just 0.2 short of Sanya Richards-Ross’ American record.

And the tone in her post-race interview was, well, subdued. Most champions at least pay lip service to being happy they won. Not in this case.

Instead, the world record holder in the 400 hurdles explained that she and her and her coach, Bobby Kersee, decided heading into The Prefontaine Classic that she would focus on the flat 400 this season

“I think we said listen, this is a challenge – it’s going to be uncomfortable for us,” McLaughlin Levrone said. “This is the year I want to step out of the box and push myself in a different way, so obviously it’s uncomfortable. But I wanted to commit to it, I’ve committed to it, and I’m excited to see where I can push myself to.”

McLaughlin Levrone continued to make clear that she is chasing a new challenge after dominating the 400 hurdles. After lowering her world record in that event to 50.37 at the 2024 world championships, she went back to an event in which her PR is more than a half-second slower than the top competitors, Salwa Eid Nasser and Marileidy Paulino, who won the Olympic title a year ago.

She said she will compete in the flat 400 at the Tokyo world championships rather than attempting to earn a wild card for the 400 hurdles.

“I think that’s a very daunting task,” she said. “It’s a very competitive field. I respect those competitors for sure, and I want to make sure I give my all.”

The American record, she said, “that’s going to come when it’s supposed to come.”

“This year and this event have taught me patience,” she said. “I think I’ve learned a lot about myself, I’ve learned a lot about the 400, but ultimately it’s every day stepping on the track and being the best I can be, figuring out a race that’s foreign to me and taking on new challenges.”

Patterson Runs Clear Of Field In 400

Until about a month ago, Jacory Patterson sandwiched his training around a full-time job loading delivery trucks for UPS. Training happened during the day, so that meant he needed to work overnights.

His days looked like this: Training at 8:30 a.m. Home around 12:30 or 1p.m. Sleep. Wake up at 9:45 p.m. Clock in for work at 10:45 p.m. Work until 4:30 a.m. Sleep a bit. Go back to practice.

His big break came in May, when he finally broke 44 seconds in the 400 meters. His 43.98 gave him the victory at the Grand Slam Track event in Miami – and opened the door to a Nike sponsorship.

His last day at UPS was June 5. And Saturday, he won his first national title, leading the whole race and finishing in 44.16, ahead of Chris Bailey, who ran 44.43, and Khaleb McRae, who finished in 44.45.

“I’m waiting for somebody to pinch me,” Patterson said. “It feels like a dream. But I’ve put in the work.”

Olympic Champ Stays On Top Of Women's Hurdles

Masai Russell appreciated her introduction before the start of the 100 hurdles, when she was introduced for the first time as the U.S. record holder.

She also knew that in some ways, that introduction added some pressure.

“It doesn’t do anything for me on the line,” she said. “You have to do it again, or you’re just an American record holder that doesn’t make it to the biggest meet of the year.”

Russell came through, winning her third U.S. title in 12.22 in her first meet since setting the American record with a 12.17 at the Miami Grand Slam event in early May.  

So she will compete at the World Championships in Tokyo along with runner-up Grace Stark, who ran 12.31, and Alaysha Johnson, who finished in 12.36, .01 ahead of Keni Harrison.

Russell had injured herself at the Grand Slam meet, and she said that two months ago, she couldn’t run or even walk. Had this been a more typical world championship season, she wouldn’t have been ready to compete when the USATF Championships came around. But because worlds are later this year, she was ready to go.

Russell said winning Olympic gold in Paris also added some pressure, but that’s something she gladly accepts. She said she looks at her career now and thanks back to the goals and dreams she had as a girl.

“When I was a kid, I would have been a big fan of myself,” she said. “I’m just becoming the woman that I said I was going to be.”