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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on the fear and pressure she experienced growing up. She was constantly worried about disappointing her parents and felt a constant need to earn the approval of those around her.
Even minor mistakes caused her intense guilt and anxiety. As a result, she constantly felt the need to confess everything to relieve that burden.
In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about how fear and the internal pressure she placed on herself impacted her severely. She wrote:
“Fear had always supercharged my conscience. If I did something that I knew my parents wouldn’t approve of, I couldn’t keep it from them. Even minor mistakes. If I was watching TV at my house or a friend’s and something came on the screen that I knew my parents wouldn’t approve, I would feel guilty and ashamed, and I couldn’t let go of the anxiety until I’d admitted what had happened to my parents.”
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“I feared correction. Being told no or that I was wrong cut me to the core. I wanted people to always be pleased with me. When something came about that could derail that, it ate at me,” the 25-year-old also mentioned.
The American hurdles star then added in her memoir that she had a mistaken view of God's nature. McLaughlin-Levrone further shared how her perspective on God has changed since, which has helped her embrace self-acceptance.
As for her track and field career, the four-time Olympic gold medalist has kicked off her 2025 season, competing in the Grand Slam Track series, founded by Michael Johnson.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on crowd support at Grand Slam Track Miami
Following her impressive 400m hurdles performance at Grand Slam Track Miami, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was questioned on how it felt when she walked out and received a loud cheering from the crowd when her name was announced. She responded to this during the post-event interview, saying (0:39 onwards):
“Yeah, it's so fun. I think this is what track and field needs, so it's exciting to be a part of it and to be able to have it here in the [United] States. We felt it in Jamaica [Kingston meet] for sure, so now to have it here in Florida is really cool.”
After winning the long hurdles race groups at both the Miami and Kingston meetings, McLaughlin-Levrone has confirmed that she will switch to the short hurdles group for the upcoming Philadelphia meet of the league.
