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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about people's expectations as she prepares to compete in a new event in the Philadelphia edition of the Grand Slam Track. The American athlete shared how the curiosity and hype among fans for the event will definitely help the sport in the long run, and it is something that athletes have been trying to do for a long time.
The Olympic gold medalist made her individual season debut in the inaugural edition of the Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica, and won the title in both the 400m as well as the 400m hurdles. She continued her momentum in the Miami edition of the track meet to win the title in both events once again. Notably, she won a prize money of $100,000.
Ahead of the next edition of the Grand Slam Track, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone announced her decision to compete in the short sprints (100m) and the short hurdles (100m hurdles). This brought about a lot of anticipation among fans to witness the Olympic gold medalist compete in a new event.
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McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about dealing with the expectations of people in a pre-race press conference in Philadelphia and shared that she is focused on putting forward her best performance without being affected by the popular notions in the media.
"It's only as hard as you let it be. I think it's great for the sport, it's great for bringing excitement to whatever it is trying to do. But, yeah, I don't pay too much attention to it because I've heard there were quite a few articles out there already. Yeah, I try not to read those and just focus on what I'm here to execute and do," she said.
Furthermore, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared how her faith helps her derive joy in competing and being content with whatever happens in the race.
"My joy is in my faith. It has allowed me to go out there and run freely, knowing that whatever happens this weekend, I'm content. I'm going to put my best foot forward, execute well, and compete hard. But, ultimately, whatever the result is has no bearing on my peace," she added.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on competing in the short sprints
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about competing in the 100-meter sprints in an interview with Forbes. The American athlete shared that the 100m is a completely different event as compared to the 400m, as it involves rapid speed as well as creating a force linearly down the track.
Moreover, McLaughlin-Levrone shared that she had been preparing on multiple aspects, like the sprint mechanics, starts, and the hurdle technique, to be ready to compete in the 100m as well as the 100m hurdles
“It’s a completely different energy system. It’s so ballistic; shooting out of the blocks, toe dragging. To create this force in a linear line down the track is so different than the grace that the 400m gives if you don’t have the best block start. That doesn’t exist in the 100m," she said.
The Olympic gold medalist expressed her excitement to go out of her comfort zone and put forward her best performance in the new set of events.
