'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
American track and field athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about her father’s nudge and her early realization that track was her sport. The New Jersey native grew up in a family of athletes and was the third of four children raised by Willie and Mary McLaughlin.
Like McLaughlin-Levrone, her parents also ran track. Her father, Willie, is a three-time NCAA All-American and a former Olympic Trials qualifier. He competed for Manhattan College, where he met Mary, who was assisting with the track team during his time there.
In an interview with Fit for the King in 2023, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared that her parents encouraged all four children to try different sports from a very young age. She also spoke about running her first race at six and how her father’s gentle nudge persuaded her to compete.
Trending
“My parents put us in sports very young, all different kinds of sports, and kind of let us choose what we wanted to do. But it honestly didn’t take long for me to realize that track was the one for me. I ran my first race when I was six years old and I was very nervous to go out there and race, but my father persuaded me," she said. (0:54 onwards)
She further recalled how her father sweet-talked her into running by promising her candy. She won that race and realized she loved the freedom and exhilaration of running.
"My father said, ‘If you go out there, I will give you a chocolate bar.’ And if you know me, you know that candy is a big motivator. So I ended up going and running, and I actually won. And I think from that moment it became very clear to me, the freedom and exhilarating feeling I felt while running was something that I loved to do," she added.
Currently, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is unbeatable in the 400m hurdles and holds the world record in the event, which she set at the 2024 Paris Games.
When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on how her bond with siblings differed from her parents
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has three siblings: Morgan, the oldest, Taylor, the second, and Ryan, the youngest. In her memoir released in January 2024, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, she wrote about her bond with her siblings and how it differed from her relationship with her parents. She shared:
“My relationships with my siblings were much different from my relationship with my parents. Where my siblings pushed me and teased me, made me tougher, Mom and Dad encouraged me and rarely demanded more effort from me. Instead, both of them, especially my dad, wanted me not to take myself too seriously.”
Morgan was a sprint hurdler and long jumper at Saint Peter’s University, while Taylor competed in the 400m hurdles for the University of Michigan. Ryan took part in sprint hurdles and shot put at the high school level.
