“Did something I’d never done before”- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on unfamiliar adjustment that helped her become an Olympian

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about an unfamiliar adjustment that played an important role in helping her qualify for her first Olympic Games. She described making the move during the finals of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

While competing in her first Olympic Trials, McLaughlin-Levrone made a mid-race stride adjustment. To keep pace with the other competitors, she took only 14 strides between the second and third hurdles, one lesser than usual, something she had never done before, not even during training sessions.

In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, McLaughlin-Levrone reflected on this adjustment, stating:

“Between the second and third hurdle, I did something I’d never done before in training or in a race. I took just fourteen strides before it was time to jump, this time with my left foot ahead. In an effort to stay with the other women, I had taken one less step between hurdles than I normally did.”

She went on to describe the physical strain of the race in her memoir. Despite the exhaustion, she pushed through and eventually earned an Olympic berth for the Rio Games.

That year, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reached the semifinals in the 400m hurdles at the Rio Olympics, despite entering the event as just a 16-year-old. Now 25, the American stands as the most dominant athlete in the discipline, holding the world record, two Olympic gold medals, as well as a World Championship title.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reacts to her first professional 100m race

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone at Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone offered a candid reaction after watching footage of her first professional 100m dash, which she ran as part of the short hurdles group at the Philadelphia Grand Slam Track meet in 2025. Notably, the race group featured two events, the 100m dash and the 100m hurdles

Speaking to NBC (via NBC Olympics and Paralympics) after the race, she reflected on her performance while reacting to the replay, saying:

“No drive phase whatsoever. So, that's kind of what did it for me. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Watching it back. I think there's a few things we can work on, but overall, I'm pretty content with what just happened. A lot better than yesterday. So, we're getting better, we're working on our short sprint speed.”

While McLaughlin-Levrone clocked a remarkable 11.21s to finish second in the 100m dash, she placed fifth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.70s. However, the four-time Olympic gold medalist achieved an outstanding overall performance, despite competing in the short hurdles group for the first time.

With her combined second-place finish, she added $50,000 to her previously existing $200,000 prize money earned from wins in the long hurdles category at the Kingston and Miami meets.