She was just 16 years old when she got the chance to make her debut in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympics. Exciting right? Well, only Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone knew the blend of thrill and fear that she felt in her heart. From the training to the flight ride to Rio, the whole experience of running at the Olympics was chronicled by her in her book Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith. She fought tooth and nail at her first Olympics, giving it her all and here is the story.
She was the youngest Olympian since 1980 to debut in the Olympics. But this feat was not easy; she almost opted out of the Olympics. But somehow, she completed her gruelling journey. Thanks to her courage, the now 21-year-old has a record in her resume that no one can take away from her.
Back in 2024, as narrated in her book Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, she reflects on how stressed she was for her Olympic debut at Rio. She found solace in a bathroom, threw up, and then got back to the track, whispering to herself, “God’s got you.” She recalled in the book, “Finally, the time had come. After the longest forty-eight hours of my life between the semifinal and final, the announcer called us into the blocks. I locked myself into position, motionless, hearing nothing but my heartbeat. The gun sounded, and the race began. Twenty-three steps to the first hurdle.”
She was in total panic. Seeing all the other amazing sprinters, including Dalilah Muhammad, run at unusual speeds, her confidence ran low. “Fifteen to the second. Both jumps were with my right leg. My usual pace and rhythm. But then I noticed the others’ pace. It was fast. Fast. Dalilah Muhammad had roared out to a lead. No one was going to catch her that day. To her outside, in lanes seven and eight, T’Erea Brown and Ashley Spencer were in second and third, tearing down the track as if we’d already reached the home stretch. That familiar instinct kicked in, and I picked up the pace, determined to keep the leaders within reach. Between the second and third hurdle, I did something I’d never done before in training or a race.”
Rewinding a few years to 2021, not only did she break her rival Dalilah Muhammad’s world record at the Olympic trials, but she also took the gold at the Tokyo Olympics! But back then, she was a bundle of nerves even while sprinting at full speed. The only thing she had in her mind was to grab third place somehow on the Olympic team. There was tension, exhaustion, and yet she was exhilarated by the thrill of competing. It was Sydney against herself, after all!
As the finish line inched nearer, it suddenly dawned on Levrone that she had officially become an Olympian at 16. She wrote, “Two feelings rushed to my mind, one on top of the other. The first was relief that the race was over, that I didn’t have to push my body anymore, that I’d made it to the end of the hardest week of my life. The second was panic. I just made the team. What have I done?”
Syndication: The Register Guard Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone crosses the finish line to win the womens 400 meters in a world leading and meet record time of 48.74 on day three of the 2023 USA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. , EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCarlxDavaz/ForxThexRegister-Guardx 21014416
At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Sydney McLaughlin blazed through the tracks in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking an impressive 54.15 seconds to clinch third place and set a new world youth best and junior record. Fast forward to 2025, she has multiple world records, Olympic gold medals, and world championship titles. When did that ever stop her from rising to another new challenge?
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shocked fans at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track
She decided to challenge herself by entering the 100 m track at the Philadelphia stop of the Grand Slam Track. This marked the first time that she tackled 100 metres in her career. Clocking in at 11.21 seconds, her performance was splendid, if not spectacular. This new step hinted at better things to come, but this time, cancellation was the hurdle between her and her dreams. The final meet of the Grand Slam Track’s inaugural season, scheduled for June 28–29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, now stands cancelled. Unfortunately, a venue funding issue is reported to be the reason for the cancellation.
Her coach, Bobby Kerse, expressed disappointment on June 14 over the cancellation of the Los Angeles leg. He has spent almost 40 years in the track and field industry and has seen too many promising initiatives fail because of lack of funding. “Deeply disappointed about the cancellation of the L.A. Grand Slam track meet. Over four decades in this sport, I’ve watched too many promising initiatives fall short due to organizational challenges, particularly from a lack of corporate sponsorship. Our athletes are world-class. They train hard and deserve better. The Grand Slam brand is still very promising, but today, seasons and careers are impacted.”
This season, Sydney didn’t just decide to sign with GST—she ruled it. She vowed to compete in all four of the Grand Slam meets, having an ambitious goal: 8 events in total. It is now about new challenges and growth for her. She leaped and entered the 100m sprint to refine her gameplay. She utilised the grand slam track for what it stands for, going beyond your limits.
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