"Forced me to grow up"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about how unwanted attention after Olympic debut changed her

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on how her Olympics debut had put her in the limelight. The four-time Olympic gold medalist further shared how the experience compelled her to "grow up".

The acclaimed sprinter and hurdler made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics at the age of 16. She became one of the youngest track athletes to represent the US track and field team on the international stage. In the semifinals of the 400m hurdles race event, McLaughlin-Levrone finished fifth and did not advance to the final.

The track icon released her memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith in January 2024. In the book, she spoke about the fame that came with being on the Olympic stage (page 52).

"A week or two after the Olympics, I had jumped back on Instagram mostly because there were all these fake accounts popping up, claiming to be me. I didn’t want to confuse anyone, so I made a new account just so people would know those other accounts weren’t real."

She continued:

"Days after I reacclimated to Instagram, I got messages from a plethora of professional athletes, entertainers, and musicians. Many of them were from men who were much older than I was, definitely not the kind of attention a senior in high school needed. Still, I am grateful for all those experiences. They forced me to grow up and adjust to having all of this attention at such a young age."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has three World Championships gold medals and one silver medal to her name. The world record holder in the 400m hurdles has also clinched two Grand Slam Track wins in Kingston and Miami. The winner of each slam receives the prize money of $100,000.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her mindset and approach before competing

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Olympic Games in Paris Source: Getty

The elite track and field athlete is a devout Christian, and during a talk with Michael Johnson in Los Angeles at the 2025 Upfront Summit in April via the Olympics, she expressed her thoughts on preparing herself spiritually, mentally, and emotionally before her competitions. She mentioned:

“I’m talking to myself, I’m repeating the race plan in my head. The night before, I’m visualising, a lot of prayer… And once I get on that line, I know that all the preparation has been done."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will next be participating in her third Grand Slam Track event, which will be held in Philadelphia, Franklin Field, from May 31 – June 1. The athlete will compete in the 100m hurdles and her first 100m race at the third slam.