"It was frustrating"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on how her technique faded after leaving college

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on how her hurdling technique was affected after leaving the University of Kentucky. There, she was coached by Edrick Floreal, who was then the head coach of the track and field team at the university.

McLaughlin-Levrone shared how her former coach Floreal valued a technical approach to hurdling where he put an emphasis on form. He focused on details like her block starts, how she attacked the hurdles and staying low through clearance. However, she added how without his guidance, the skills which she had developed started to fade over time.

Although Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone admitted that she tried to apply the technique after the two parted ways, it wasn’t effective, which left her frustrated as she knew that she had a huge potential. In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith released in January 2024, she opened up on her struggles, stating:

"Once I left that training environment, the skills slowly began to dwindle..It was clear that I had a real shot at a World Championship, but as my year at Kentucky and all that technical training retreated further into my memory and away from my day-to-day habits on the track, I knew I was leaving more on the table."

"It was frustrating...Each year, by the grace of God, I always seemed to get faster, but this felt like I was slowly beginning to roll the other direction," she added.

However, her technique improved after she began training with Bobby Kersee, who remains her coach. Under his guidance, she has won four Olympic gold medals and broken the world record in the 400m hurdles six times.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set to run the Prefontaine Classic for the first time

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Grand Slam Track - Miami. Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been confirmed to compete in the Prefontaine Classic, one of the Diamond League meets, for the first time in her career. The announcement comes after her participation in the 2025 Grand Slam Track series, where she raced at the Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia meets.

She delivered dominant performances in the long hurdles at both the Kingston and Miami GST stops and finished second overall in the short hurdles group at the Philadelphia meet. McLaughlin-Levrone was also scheduled to compete at the Los Angeles leg of the series, but that meet was canceled.

On June 23, organizers of the Prefontaine Classic, held annually at Hayward Field, confirmed her entry in the meet. Notably, she will compete in the 400m flat event rather than in the hurdles.

With Hayward Field also set to host the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from July 31 to August 3, the Prefontaine Classic will serve as a great warm-up for the 25-year-old. Notably, the top finishers at the championships will be picked in the team USA’s for the World Athletics Championships, taking place between September 13 and 21 in Tokyo, Japan.