PARIS, France – Kentucky Track and Field athletes Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Daniel Roberts made a strong start at the Olympic Games in Paris on Sunday morning, both advancing from the initial rounds of their events.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the reigning gold medalist and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, commenced her Olympic journey in this event with a commanding performance. She secured victory in the fifth heat of Round 1, finishing with a time of 53.60 seconds. The 2018 NCAA Champion quickly gained the lead by the second hurdle and comfortably maintained her position, crossing the finish line without any challenge. Her time was the third fastest among all competitors, ensuring her automatic qualification for Tuesday’s semifinal.
Roberts, who competed for Kentucky from 2016 to 2019, also advanced in the 110m hurdles. He secured his spot by finishing third in the third heat, emerging from a close finish that saw four athletes crossing the line nearly simultaneously. Having needed to place in the top three for automatic advancement, Roberts lunged at the finish to claim the last automatic qualifying position. He will aim to improve upon his ninth-place finish at the Tokyo Games in pursuit of a spot in the Olympic final.
On Monday morning, two more athletes from Kentucky will make their Olympic debuts. Andrew Evans will compete in the discus throw, while Alexis Holmes will participate in the 400m rounds. Evans, a two-time Olympian who previously competed in Rio 2016, won the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and will begin his second Olympic games at 4:10 a.m. (ET) in Qualification Group A for the discus. The top 12 performers across both groups will progress to Wednesday’s final. Meanwhile, Holmes, competing in her first Olympics after finishing third at the U.S. Trials, will run her opening round of the 400m at 5:55 a.m. (ET).
The schedule for Kentucky athletes throughout the Olympic events is detailed below.
Event Schedule
August 4
Men’s 110mH – 5:50 a.m. (ET) – Round 1 – Daniel Roberts – 13.47 Q
Women’s 400mH – 6:35 a.m. (ET) – Round 1 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – 53.60 Q
August 5
Men’s Discus Throw – 4:10 a.m. (ET) – Qualification – Andrew Evans
Women’s 400m – 5:55 a.m. (ET) – Round 1 – Alexis Holmes
August 6
Women’s 400m – 5:20 a.m. (ET) – Repechage – Alexis Holmes
Women’s 400mH – 2:07 p.m. (ET) – Semifinals – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
August 7
Women’s 100mH – 4:15 a.m. (ET) – First Round – Masai Russell, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Devynne Charlton (Volunteer Assistant Coach/Purdue Alum)
Men’s 110mH – 1:05 p.m. (ET) – Semifinals – Daniel Roberts
Men’s Discus Throw – 2:25 p.m. (ET) – Final – Andrew Evans
Women’s 400m – 2:45 p.m. (ET) – Semifinals – Alexis Holmes
August 8
Women’s 100mH – 4:35 a.m. (ET) – Repechage – Masai Russell, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Devynne Charlton
Women’s 400mH – 3:25 p.m. – Final – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
August 9
Women’s 4x400m Relay – 4:40 a.m. (ET) – Round 1 – Alexis Holmes (Relay Pool)
Women’s 100mH – 6:05 a.m. (ET) – Semifinals – Masai Russell, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Devynne Charlton
Women’s 400m – 2:00 p.m. (ET) – Final – Alexis Holmes
August 10
Women’s 100mH – 1:45 p.m. (ET) – Final – Masai Russell, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Devynne Charlton
Women’s 4x400m Relay – 3:22 p.m. (ET) – Final – Alexis Holmes (Relay Pool)
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