"I’m not running to prove a point" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on letting faith guide her approach

Two-time Olympic Champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about letting her faith guide her approach. The athlete often speaks about her faith journey and how the Lord gives her the strength to succeed.

McLaughlin-Levrone has noted that if there were any challenging moments in life, she and her husband, former NFL player Andre Levrone, would turn to faith and pray together. Though Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was raised in a Christian family, the athlete became a staunch believer in God and fully embraced faith during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with Women’s Health magazine in June 2024, the athlete shared that her faith was a powerful guiding force in her journey, adding that believing in Jesus brought her a sense of calm and purpose.

“My faith has been like a saving grace—no pun intended—helping me to understand who I am in Christ, why I am here. Understanding that and placing my trust in Jesus, it’s allowed everything else to fall into place,” she said.

McLaughlin-Levrone further noted that she was not running for personal glory but to honor God with the gift he gave her. Her faith brought peace, knowing her worth wasn't tied to the outcome of a race. She said:

“Now, when I step on the line, I’m not running to prove a point. I’m not running to validate myself, and I’m not running to glorify myself. It’s using the gift I’ve been given to point all of the attention back to Him and show that He’s worth it, win, lose, or draw. It brings so much peace to know that if I lose this race, I did not lose any value.”

After placing her faith at the center of her journey, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has achieved major feats in her athletic career, including breaking her world record in the 400m hurdles multiple times and winning gold medals at the World Championships and the Olympics.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2025 season so far

Grand Slam Track - Philadelphia - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has had an impressive 2025 season so far. After defending her Olympic title at the Paris Olympics, she made her first appearance at the inaugural Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston.

McLaughlin-Levrone won back-to-back titles in both the 400m and 400m hurdles events at the first and second Grand Slam Track meets. Apart from this, she also made her professional 100m debut at the third Grand Slam event and competed in the 100m hurdles as well.

After concluding her GST campaign, McLaughlin-Levrone made her 400m flat debut at the Prefontaine Classic and won the event, clocking 49.43s. Later, she was scheduled to compete in the Ed Murphey Classic, but unfortunately, she withdrew from the race due to sickness.