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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about a vulnerable moment while competing in a major race of her career. The race was the semifinals of her debut Olympic Games at Rio in 2016.
McLaughlin-Levrone said that although she began the race as usual with nerves present, her competitive instinct disappeared and she was left alone with her thoughts during the race. She admitted that she didn’t have the desire to win, which was at odds with her competitive nature.
In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared the psychological battle which she encountered for the first time in her career. She reflected on what happened halfway into the race, writing:
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“Halfway through the race, I was running well, within striking distance of the final. But at some point over the next 100 meters, my instinct abandoned me, and I was left with just my thoughts. It was the first time it ever disappeared on the track.”
She further shared that the season had been a long one and that she was mentally drained, which led to an emotional burnout. She also noted that she had already exceeded her own expectations, which contributed to her decision to stop pushing herself.
At the 2016 Olympic Trials, the then 16-year-old finished fifth in the semifinals and missed out on qualifying for the final. Although her debut campaign ended as a semifinalist, she went on to become a four-time Olympic gold medalist, winning two titles in the women’s 400m hurdles and two in the 4x400m relay.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on why she switched to short hurdles group for Grand Slam Track Philadelphia
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently talked about her decision to switch to the short hurdles group for the third meet of the 2025 Grand Slam Track (GST) held in Philadelphia. Notably, the American had competed in the long hurdles at the Kingston and Miami meets of the GST but opted for the short hurdles in the third event.
In the post-event interview after racing the 100m hurdles at the Philadelphia meet, she reflected on her decision, saying that she enjoyed the challenge (0:41 onwards):
“Yeah, I think we like to switch it up. I think I like a challenge, and yeah, I told my coach I wanted to try it again. It’s really fun to me, and it’s a break from the long hurdles. So it’s nice to be able to work on the speed, work on the technique. They’re a lot closer together, so once you go back to the quarter hurdles, there’s a lot more grace there.”
Following her overall second-place finish in the short hurdles group behind Ackera Nugent, McLaughlin-Levrone confirmed that she would not be returning to the short hurdles group for the Los Angeles meet of the GST. Instead, she is considering either the long sprints or long hurdles group for the final meet.
