"It's hard to escape it"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone gets real about making her fourth Olympic appearance in LA 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her thoughts about competing in her fourth consecutive Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. The American athlete shared that the thought about making an Olympic return is always at the back of her mind, and that keeps her motivated to keep pushing herself.

The 26-year-old concluded her Olympic campaign in Paris with two gold medals, which included successfully defending her 400m hurdles title and playing an integral role in helping the team top the 4x400m relay. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone then returned to the 2025 track with great momentum and competed in three editions of the Grand Slam Track, where she even competed in the 100m as well as the 100m hurdles.

The Olympic gold medalist competed in the women's 400m at the USATF National Championships and announced her decision to compete in the 400m at the World Championships, leaving behind her pet event, the 400m hurdles. As she geared up to compete at the World Championships later this month, McLaughlin-Levrone appeared on the Olympics podcast and spoke about a variety of topics.

McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her thoughts about competing in the upcoming Olympics on home soil and shared that it was hard to escape subconscious thoughts about the major event that is slated to be held in 2028.

“I think LA is always at the back of my mind. I think it's hard to escape it, especially when I live there. But you know, it's something that I need to keep in the back of my mind.

Moreover, she shared that it would be a great honor to compete in the sport's biggest event on home soil in front of the American people, who would be cheering from the stands.

"You know, that's something I'm working towards. It's in a very exciting goal to have it back in the States, back on home soil. To be able to run in the Coliseum would be just such an honor. So it's always there. And I think that's what motivates me, is, okay, we got to take one year at a time, one day at a time, one step at a time. But just keeping that, you know, in the back of my mind keeps me for sure looking toward it," she added.

---

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up about making a transition to 400m in the 2025 season

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone celebrates at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about making a transition to the 400m in the 2025 season in the Olympics podcast. The American athlete shared that she wanted to challenge herself and felt that it was the right thing to do at this point in her career.

Moreover, McLaughlin-Levrone expressed that after dominating the 400m hurdles for over two Olympic games, she wanted to try a different event to become a well-rounded athlete.

"I think it felt like the right thing to do, just because I want to be the best, well-rounded athlete I can be. And this is one of those challenges that I think I had been putting off for myself," she said.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was apprehensive before taking the step; however, she felt that it would be the right decision to go out of her comfort zone and compete against some of the best athletes in the world.