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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up on embracing her life beyond competition after her 400m hurdles race was over at the debut Olympics. She made her Olympic debut at the age of 16 at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Although she finished as a semi-finalist which she considered disappointing, she knew the significance of being at the Olympics, which was a dream for her and those who supported her dreams. In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith released in early 2024, she described experiencing freedom after her event was completed.
Following this, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone allowed herself to just enjoy the moment and spend time with her family as a fan. She wrote:
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“Despite the setbacks, I had to acknowledge that my family, coaches, and I were still living the dream of attending the Olympics. We had to make some time to enjoy it. With my event behind me, I felt free to just be a kid. I moved from the Olympic Village to the apartment where my parents were staying.”
The American also shared how she and her parents attended many events, including Usain Bolt’s 100m race, which she described as one of the most unforgettable Olympic moments of her life. Notably, this was also Bolt’s final Olympics where he added two more golds in his count with the 200m and 4x100m relay gold, taking his overall Olympic tally to an impressive eight gold medals.
Although McLaughlin-Levrone was unable to deliver a podium finish at her first Olympics, she later became a four-time Olympic gold medalist, winning back-to-back titles in the 400m hurdles and the women’s 4x400m relay at both Tokyo and Paris.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on how her faith in Christ helped in overcoming emptiness post Olympics
After her remarkable Paris Olympics campaign, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflected on how her faith in Christ provides her with lasting peace. After achieving her Paris Olympics goal, she felt a sense of emptiness, but her Christian faith helped her find stability, knowing she had something unfading in her life even after the moment she had trained for was over.
During an appearance with her husband Andre Levrone at the Master's University, she opened up on this, stating (32:03 onwards):
"There's just such a peace, I think, in being a Christian and knowing that you have something solid, imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. I've seen so many athletes talk about post-Olympic depression, right?..But there's such a security in Christ, knowing that my identity isn't going to shake. It's not going to go away. Whether I win or lose this race, I'm secure."
She also highlighted during the discussion how many athletes experience post-Olympic depression, having spent their entire lives working towards one goal, only to feel lost once it’s been achieved.
