“I was feeding off of that”-Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up about dealing with fame early in her career

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about dealing with fame early in her career in her latest interview. The American shared that during her initial days as an athlete with newfound popularity, she enjoyed the fame and was very active on social media; however, her mindset towards it changed after she became more dedicated towards her faith.

McLaughlin-Levrone rose to fame after her incredible performances on the NCAA circuit as well as her qualification for the Rio Olympics at the age of 16. She was the youngest American track athlete to qualify for the US Olympic track and field team since 1980. Her achievements as an emerging track star brought her into the limelight and made her very famous on social media.

The Olympic gold medalist spoke about handling the fame and popularity at a very young age in her appearance on the latest episode of Ready Set Go with Rodney Green and Justin Gatlin. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed that she was enjoying the fame and everything that came with it. Moreover, McLaughlin-Levrone shared that she was very active on social media, as she wanted to feel the validation of people.

“I think in the beginning of my career, and this is kind of before my faith came into the picture, I wanted all of it. I wanted all the attention, all the fame, all the money, all the things. I was feeding off of that. That was my source of life, to be honest. That's why I was so big into the social media, so big into getting dressed up and taking all the pictures, and just wanting to feel that validation from people," she said.

However, her approach towards fame changed after she got closer to her faith. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared that she realized that all the materialistic aspects of life are ever-changing, and it would never completely satisfy anyone.

"That was where I got my piece. Then of course, being on the track. But at the end of the day, whether it's social media, whether it's track and field, whether it's money, whether it's relationships, those things will never satisfy you, and they're always changing,” she added.

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When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about her debut Olympic appearance

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competes in Athletics - Olympics: Day 10 - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made her Olympic debut at the quadrennial games in Rio in 2016. She competed in the women's 400m hurdles and could not qualify for the finals of the event, as she finished fifth in the semi-finals.

The American athlete spoke about her appearance in her book and shared that she felt that she robbed herself on an opportunity as she could not put forward her best performance.

"Honestly, I robbed myself of an opportunity. I don't know what would have happened, but I really didn't want to find out. I left Rio with the feeling that I had left something behind. It was very hard. It's not something you want to talk about, because you don't want people to be mad at you, but it was really my own thing," she said.

Moreover, McLaughlin-Levrone admitted that she was not ready to compete in an Olympic final mentally, spiritually, and physically.