“Lived out in the worst way” - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on her lack of discipline before her Olympic debut

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on her lack of discipline ahead of her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She shared how instead of maintaining a focused routine or strict diet, she ate Wendy’s cheeseburgers and a massive box of Twizzlers and had a carefree mindset, which was different from the approach of many of her fellow athletes.

The American hurdler opened up about this phase of her life in her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released in January 2024. She recalled prioritizing her 17th birthday party over Olympic preparations, admitting that her heart wasn’t fully in training and that she lacked the awareness of how proper nutrition and discipline could fuel performance.

She revealed her approach before the Olympics in her book, adding:

“In the weeks leading up to our flight to Brazil, I lived out, in the worst way, a quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin that I’ve thought about many times over the years: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” With each piece of candy I ate, with each half-hearted effort I gave at the track, I was setting myself up for an uninspired performance in Rio.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also shared that her parents never stopped her from living her life or enjoying herself. In the book, she also thanked them for giving her the freedom, acknowledging that restricting those experiences might have negatively affected her teenage emotions.

At the Rio Olympics, then 16-year-old Sydney finished as a semi-finalist in the 400m hurdles, but later went on to win four gold medals from her outings in Tokyo and Paris, winning two golds each in the 400m hurdles and women’s 4x400m relay events.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone skips hurdles, enters 400m flat at USATF Outdoors in bid for World Championships spot

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Paris Olympics 2024 (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has confirmed her bid to compete in a different event than her regular one, the 400m hurdles, at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships. She will instead race in the 400m flat, where a top-three finish would secure her a position in the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the discipline.

In the 400m flat, she is expected to face competition from Aaliyah Butler, Isabella Whittaker, Alexis Holmes, and Lynna Irby-Jackson, all of whom posted sub-50s times during the qualification window between June 21, 2024, and July 20, 2025, at the USAs. However, McLaughlin-Levrone remains a strong contender with a personal best of 48.74s and an impressive 49.11s clocked during the qualification period at the Brussels Diamond League invitational.

So far in 2025, the American has recorded a season-best of 49.43s at her most recent race, the Prefontaine Classic, placing her sixth among all 400m runners this season. If she qualifies in the 400m for the World Championships, she is expected to face stiff competition from Olympic gold and silver medalists Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser.

In addition, her compatriots Butler and Whittaker, both of whom have run faster times this season, may also pose a threat to the 25-year-old.