Bobby Kersee’s ‘mad scientist’ methods help lead McLaughlin-Levrone to 400-meter gold at worlds

As part of his custom, Bobby Kersee ducked into a taxi and was returning to the hotel by the time the 400-meter race at world championships was beginning. He's never been one to watch his star athletes race in person, because once they get to the starting line, he feels his work is finished.

Soon after his departure, the legendary track coach received the phone call he knew would be coming — his prized protégé, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400-meter hurdler who's now mixing in the 400, was a gold medalist.

Not even her time was a surprise, as she became the first woman in nearly 40 years to break the 48-second barrier on Thursday at worlds in Tokyo. She finished the historically fast race in a blistering 47.78 seconds.

It’s exactly what they trained for. It’s precisely what they expected.

“I knew you had to run under 48 seconds to win and she trained for it. She took on the challenge, took on the risk,” Kersee said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “She’s just an amazing athlete.”

Her time also broke her own just-established American record and was the second-fastest ever, trailing only the 47.60 by East Germany’s Marita Koch, which was set Oct. 6, 1985.

All part of the plan as McLaughlin-Levrone follows the lead of the coach who's known as the “mad scientist” for his outside-the-box methods.

Kersee has overseen the training of many of track and field's greats: Florence Griffith Joyner, Gail Devers, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Al Joyner, Allyson Felix and, these days, McLaughlin-Levrone.

“I think Bobby believed that the time was there and I believed in Bobby and in our work,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “It was really just a matter of putting the pieces together and running my race.”

McLaughlin-Levrone is already the world-record holder in the 400 hurdles. Could she someday be the owner of the 400 mark as well?

"If a world record is out there to be broken, if I’ve got an athlete that’s capable of breaking it, I’m going after it," Kersee said. “I’d be lying to say that I’m not going to try to go after it.”

McLaughlin-Levrone was pushed to the limit Thursday by second-place finisher Marileidy Paulino, who went a 47.98, and Salwa Eid Naser (48.19).

“I think that very soon the women’s 400 world record will be broken,” Naser said. “I never thought of it before, but after tonight’s race I can see that the world record is around the corner.”

Sparring partner pushed McLaughlin-Levrone

McLaughlin-Levrone skipped European meets in order to train for Tokyo. To get her even faster, Kersee brought in former UCLA runner Willington Wright to push her. Kersee felt Wright was the perfect sparring partner for “The Champ,” which is what he calls McLaughlin-Levrone.

“Your sparring partner makes you work the way you've got to perform in the ring,” Kersee said. "Willington did that for her. He ran beside her, behind her, in front of her, took her out (fast) and did all the things that she needed to (run that time).

“I kept telling her 47.99 may not win it — and 47.99 would not have won it tonight.”

It's the perfect partnership — follow his directions and everything will work out just golden. If not, they'll tweak it.

“Bobby’s completely quirky,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in an interview earlier in the day. “They’re tunnel-vision about performance. They don’t let much else get in the way."

Once back at the hotel, Kersee spent time watching replays of the race. He didn't want to divulge too many details, but there are places where he knows if she's executing, no one's going to catch her.

“One of the advantages she has as a 400-meter hurdler is that you know you’ve got to concentrate on coming off that curve, coming home, keeping your form and keeping your stride length and your stride frequency,” Kersee explained. “If not, you’re going to chop or misstep or what have you. She executed the last part of that race as good as you can expect.”

Make no mistake, she's not putting the 400 hurdles on the backburner. If anything, this will only motivate her even more. McLaughlin-Levrone has lowered her 400 hurdles mark to 50.37 with her gold-medal performance at the Paris Games.

“She wants to break 50 seconds. So I think now 47 tells her that she can break 50,” Kersee said.

California dreaming

For the Los Angeles Games in 2028, if the schedule allows and she qualifies, Kersee would love to see McLaughlin-Levrone compete in the 400 and 400 hurdles.

She would've considered the same double in Tokyo, had the schedule permitted it. To do so at worlds would've required six straight days of running.

“We lost out here,” Kersee said. “Back then in the day, they knew where the talent was and what was best for the fans, for the possibility to see greatness, and they adjusted the time schedule to it.”

McLaughlin-Levrone certainly put on quite a show Thursday. Kersee toasted her victory with a celebratory dinner of grilled lamb, mashed potatoes and a mixed salad.

“I’ve had a very blessed career," Kersee said, “with all these athletes.”