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20-Year-Old Sydney McLaughlin Has Potential to Match U.S. Track Greats

Welcome to Shades Of, where SI experts discuss young, emerging stars across all sports in the context of which current veterans or retired athletes they draw comparisons to, based on everything from stats to stature, style and more.

Who does Sydney McLaughlin remind you of?

It’s tough to find a direct comparison to a past star for Sydney McLaughlin’s young and blossoming track and field career. A coach I spoke to says she compares well to Australia’s Jana Pittman, a two-time world champion in the 400 meters hurdles who also had success as a flat 400-meter runner.