Sydney McLaughlin-Lebroni just Though just 25 years old, stepping onto the starting line at the Olympic Stadium is nothing new for her. The New Jersey native has already broken five world records and will be returning to Paris for her third Olympic Games hoping to add another gold medal (or two) to her medal tally.
At age 16, McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world junior record in the 400m hurdles in 54.15 seconds at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. That time earned her a spot in the Rio Olympics, where she advanced to the semifinals. McLaughlin-Levrone returned even stronger for the Tokyo Olympics, winning the 400m hurdles by 0.12 seconds over fellow U.S. teammate Dalilah Muhammad. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning 4x400m relay team in Tokyo with Muhammad, Allyson Felix and Assing Mu.
And in the run up to the Paris Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone continued to do just that. New World Record At the 2024 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon on June 30, she recorded an astounding time of 50.65 seconds in the 400m hurdles and is aiming to win back-to-back gold medals in Paris.
But there’s more to McLaughlin-Levrone than what you see on the track: She’s outspoken about her faith, has an interesting family background, and is on a mission to further the sport of sprinting. Here are nine things to know about the world’s fastest 400-meter hurdler before you watch her go for gold on August 8.
1. McLaughlin-Levrone comes from a family of talented runners.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s whole family has competed in track and field: Her father, Willie McLaughlin, was a three-time NCAA All-American in the 400 meters and nearly made the U.S. Olympic team in 1984. He was inducted into the Manhattan College Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. Sydney’s mother, Mary McLaughlin, was on the boys’ track and field team in high school. people I will report.
McLaughlin-Levrone and her three siblings had active childhoods. “Athletics was always a part of our lives,” McLaughlin-Levrone said in an interview. Olympic Channel Podcast. But it wasn’t always running: “Our parents let us choose what we wanted to do,” she says. She also dabbled in basketball, soccer and dance, but “track and field stood out for all of us,” she adds.
Naturally, she was inspired by the healthy competition between her brothers: Her brother, Taylor, ran Division I track and field at the University of Michigan and won a silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Junior 20-and-under Championships (apparently a popular event between the McLaughlin brothers).
2. She was inspired by Sanya Richard Ross.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s Olympic obsession began when she was 9 years old. She vividly remembers watching American sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross win bronze in the 400 meters and then take gold by a large margin in the 4×400-meter relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As McLaughlin-Levrone said in the podcast, “I remember turning to my mom and saying, ‘I want to do that, too.'”
3. Qualifying for her first Olympic Games was a surprise.
By the time she was in middle school, it was clear that McLaughlin-Levrone was better than her peers, but her talent didn’t fully materialize until her first Olympic Trials for the Rio Olympics in 2016. “When we went to the 2016 Trials, we were really just going to get the experience,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. Olympic Channel Podcast. She was 16 at the time and needed to place at least third at the trials to make the U.S. team in the 400m hurdles, but she remembers thinking there was no way she could do it. just She qualified for the team and even won by more than half a second over the fourth-place finisher (that’s a big margin in a 54-second race).
4. The University of Kentucky was her second home for a year.
After a standout high school career, McLaughlin-Levrone had to choose between going professional or competing in the NCAA. She decided to attend the University of Kentucky in 2017, and she says her year there was “pretty pivotal” in her athletic career. She was exposed to more rigorous training and higher expectations from her coaches, and “it really gave me a glimpse into what it means to be a professional,” she said. Olympic Channel Podcast.
5. Candy is her racing fuel of choice.
A self-described “candy connoisseur,” McLaughlin-Levrone attributes at least some of her speed to snacking on gummy bears, Jolly Ranchers, Starbursts and other treats before races. “If I have candy in the house, I never keep it out for more than 24 hours,” she says. Interview GQ. If we could all break the world record for a bag of gummy bears, McLaughlin-Levrone would face some much bigger competition.
6. Add the title “published author” to her accolades.
As if an Olympic medal wasn’t enough, McLaughlin Levrone also published her first book in January. Beyond Gold: From Fear to Faith, In her account of how she dealt with the fear and mental anguish she faced as a professional runner, McLaughlin-Levrone talks about how her faith helped her embrace her identity and deal with perfectionism, anxiety and imposter syndrome.
