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As a youngster competing in her first Olympics, the 2016 Rio Games, Sydney McLaughlin earned the nickname 'Syd the Kid.'
McLaughlin, who was 16 at the time, made the U.S. Track and Field squad. She was the youngest to earn qualification since Carol Lewis and Denean Howard qualified for the boycotted Moscow Olympics in 1980.
The New Jersey native, who turned 23 on August 7, did not make it to the Olympic final in 2016. But McLaughlin was only beginning her record-breaking adventure.
Sydney McLaughlin's Olympic debut
Sydney McLaughlin was destined to be an athlete from birth. Her father, Willie, competed in the 400-meter semifinals of the 1984 Olympics. At the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships, her brother won silver in the 400-meter hurdles. Her mother, too, competed in running.
The history-making potential for McLaughlin has long ago been predicted. She made the the 2016 Rio Olympics squad, having placed third in the US national trials. She ultimately finished 16th overall, losing in the semifinals.
Sydney McLaughlin won the 400-meter hurdles race in 54.46 seconds at the New Balance outdoor high school championships in 2016. She thus beat Lashinda Demus' American junior record of 54.70 seconds.
Over The Years
McLaughlin participated in the Swedish medley relay for Union Catholic, with a quick 400-meter split of 50.93 seconds as the team set a new high school record of 2:07.99 in 2017. The following week, she finished first in the USATF Junior Championship in 54.54 seconds, earning her the title of Gatorade National Girls Athlete of the Year.
Sydney has now surpassed all her peers as she holds the 400-meter hurdles world record and is an Olympic gold medalist.
In an earlier interview, Sydney McLaughlin stated:
“I think it actually took me going to Rio to understand that, okay, this one is out of the way… now I can really go to the Olympics.”
Career progression now
The pandemic-related postponement of the Olympic Games allowed the Los Angeles-based McLaughlin to gather more experience and make significant training adjustments. Her move to new coach Bob Kersee was one of them.
At the American Olympic Trials in June 2021, Sydney McLaughlin broke the 400-meter hurdles world record. She was the first woman to ever finish the race in under 52 seconds with a timing of 51.90.
McLaughlin then ran even faster at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. She broke her own world record and beat defending Olympic and world champion Dalilah Muhammad, who came second in 51.58, to win the 400-meter hurdles in a lightning-fast 51.46.
As a member of the 4 x 400-meter relay squad with Muhammad, Allyson Felix, and Athing Mu, Sydney McLaughlin once again took home a gold medal. With two gold medals and a world record that would not survive for very long, she finished her second Olympic Games.
After Tokyo Olympics
She later repeated that in the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championship. With a run of 51.41, McLaughlin broke the 400-meter hurdles world record for the third time.
Sydney McLaughlin has been candid about her battles with mental illness and the cyberbullying she endured in high school.
She is very confident to return to the track with even more dedication this time around. With age on her side, it would not be a surprise if the youngster breaks her record yet again.
