“One of my favorite parts about track is getting to meet the fans, especially with our sport. A lot of younger kids come to our meets, and seeing their excitement and being able to inspire them is one of my favorite parts of competing.” Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas perfectly summed up the experience of being an athlete with these words. And an athlete of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s stature knows exactly how powerful that love can be. At the Philadelphia leg of the Grand Slam Track, she didn’t have her best day, finishing fifth in the 100m hurdles. But even in defeat, a fan’s gesture helped bring a smile to her face. How so?
When the Grand Slam Track came to Miami, Sydney returned with a fierce will to win in her eyes. She took her mark on the 400 m H track, and once again, with a time of 52.07 seconds, Levrone won. Then it was time to dominate the 400 meters, she did with a 49.69-second win. Once again, she was crowned the victor of the event, as the crowd roared. So when she entered Philly, she entered as one of the biggest stars in the stadium. But there was also someone waiting for her, a fan who had dumped a major moment in her life to meet her idol, Sydney McLaughlin Lervone. Sadly, it wasn’t all good. Why?
The Paris Olympics gold medalist has won her last two GSTs, to make things challenging for herself, she did not race the 400 mH but the 100 mH. The entire track and field community watched the dominator being dominated in that race. Sydney finished 5th with a time of 12.70 seconds. Ackera Nugent took the win with 12.44s (-0.4). But it did not break the spirits of her young fan, who had gone above and beyond in her support. She skipped her prom.
Yes, the home of the famed Penn Relays, Franklin Field, saw a young girl donning a beautiful yellow dress, standing in there with a board that read, “I SKIPPED PROM FOR YOU, SYDNEY“. She introduced herself to the camera as she said, “My name is Avery, I came from the middle of New York, Buffalo area, and I came to see Sydney and obviously I skipped my prom for it. I’m so excited to see everything that comes out today.” Was it worth it? She actually did get to meet the Olympian and had a great talk with her. She even got an autograph. But it might have gone downhill when the 400m hurdler took to the 100m Hurdles.
She skipped prom … to meet Sydney
When your hero makes it worth it pic.twitter.com/GomfXxWhWl
— Grand Slam Track (@GrandSlamTrack) May 31, 2025
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The post Crushing Defeat Doesn’t Break Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Fan’s Spirit Who Skipped Life’s Major Moment for Her Race appeared first on EssentiallySports.
