"Helped keep me grounded" – When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on how her family and faith anchored her early life

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about how her family and faith anchored her during her teenage years. She reflected that no matter how busy their lives were, church would always come first.

McLaughlin-Levrone has established herself as one of the top track athletes, and holds the world record in the 400m hurdles, which she set at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In her memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, McLaughlin Levrone opened her faith journey. She recalled that even if she had a soccer match on Sunday, she would wear her uniform to church and head to the game straight from there. The church was always a priority.

"My parents believed that God had a plan for my life. No matter how busy our lives were, church was always a priority. If I had a soccer match on a Sunday afternoon, I’d wear my uniform to church that morning, then head straight to the game."

She admitted that, although she didn’t have a strong personal faith in God at the time, the way her parents raised her and her siblings, putting God first, helped her stay grounded.

"If there was a midweek service, we went. My parents’ firm commitment to raising my siblings and me with Christian values played a huge part in our lives growing up. It helped keep me grounded as a kid, even if I didn’t yet have true faith in God."

It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that the four-time Olympic gold medalist embraced her faith fully, in both her personal and athletic journey.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on staying focused under Olympic pressure

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games, and has since won four Olympic gold medals. In a conversation with Grand Slam track founder Michael Johnson, McLaughlin reflected on how she handles the Olympic pressure, and noted that faith is a huge part of it.

"I would say my faith is a huge part of it, just knowing that my identity is not in whether I win or lose the race. First and foremost, that gives me so much peace to just go out there and use the gift that I’ve been given. But ultimately, I think in the moment, it’s just… everybody says I look so serious. I'm not waving at the camera; I'm locked in because I know what I am there to do," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said (7:54 onwards via Upfront Ventures).

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a woman of many talents. Apart from 400m hurdles, she recently made her 100m flat debut in the Grand Slam Track meet held in Philadelphia and finished second.