NCAA Champion who broke Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's collegiate record follows Noah Lyles' footsteps with pro deal with multibillion dollar brand

NCAA champion Savannah Sutherland, who had broken Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's collegiate record, recently followed in the footsteps of top sprinter Noah Lyles. The Canadian hurdler has signed a pro contract deal with the multibillion-dollar brand (via Forbes), Adidas.

The Bowerman finalist had a conversation with Citius Mag over the same. Sutherland thanked Adidas for considering her and hoped to start a new chapter as a pro athlete with the brand.

“So thankful to start my professional career alongside Adidas, and excited to see what the future has in store for this next chapter,” Sutherland said.

Savannah Sutherland represents the Michigan Wolverines in collegiate athletics. The Canadian athlete clocked 52.46 seconds to win the 400m hurdles event at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field championships. With that, Sutherland broke the previous collegiate record set by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who had clocked 52.75 seconds to win the Championships for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2018.

Sutherland reached the women's 400m hurdles finals at the Paris Olympics last year. While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone went on to win her second consecutive gold medal in the event with a new world record of 50.37 seconds, Sutherland finished seventh with a time of 53.88 seconds. Nevertheless, this was the best performance by a Canadian athlete in this event since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, when Rosey Edeh reached the finals and finished sixth.

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When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone talked about staying locked in before chasing her Olympic dream

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on staying focused for her Olympic dream [Image Source: Getty]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone revealed her thoughts about staying locked in as she chased her Olympic dream for the first time in 2016. In her memoir Far Beyond Gold, the world record holder wrote about her aim to stay focused and not wave to crowds or react to the camera zooming in on her, as she mentioned:

“When the camera zoomed in on me in Eugene, I didn’t acknowledge it. My eyes were laser-focused on a spot off in the distance as I rocked myself back and forth, dealing with an abundance of nervous energy.”

The Olympic champion hurdler added:

“I was hyperfocused on what I was about to do, which was give every ounce of my strength to beat the other seven women. For me, the competition had already begun from the moment we stepped into the call room."

Despite the initial setback at the Rio Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone went on to become one of the most remarkable American athletes of all time. The hurdler recently competed in the 400m dash in the Eugene Prefontaine Classic, which she won with a seasonal best time of 49.43 seconds.