"Proud of all the faith"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone makes feelings clear on being nominated alongside A'ja Wilson, Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently dropped a reaction to being nominated for the ESPY Best Athlete Award alongside multiple other athletes from various sports. The athlete is currently gearing up for the upcoming outdoor events of the 2025 season.

McLaughlin-Levrone was last seen competing at the third stop of Grand Slam Track, where she stepped out of her comfort zone by competing in the 100m hurdles and 100m flat race instead of her traditional event, the 400m hurdles. On Day 1 of the event, she ran in the 100m hurdles, where she witnessed a shocking upset as she earned a fifth-place finish after clocking 12.70s.

On day 2 of the event, she ran in the 100m flat race, where she secured a second-place finish by recording a timing of 11.21s. She is now gearing up to compete in the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, which is scheduled to take place in July.

Amid her preparation for the outdoor season, McLaughlin-Levrone has been nominated for the ESPY Best Athlete award alongside Gabby Thomas, gymnast Simone Biles, and WNBA player, A'ja Wilson.

Shortly after being nominated, the Olympic champion made her feelings known by sharing a post of her being nominated for an ESPY on her Instagram story. She wrote:

"Nominated for an ESPY🥹 proud of all the faith + hard work being recognized! You guys can vote for me here! Thanks all!❤️"

Notably, McLaughlin-Levrone also recently earned the honorable achievement of being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame alongside Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, Dana Bash, and more.

When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about high-pressure expectations that overwhelmed her

In her book, Far Beyond Gold, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled being overwhelmed by immense expectations from her coach, Edrick Floreal. The athlete shared a unique bond with the coach, making him one of the significant personalities in the athlete's life. He played a major role in helping her come out of her mental barriers and perform well on the track.

Recalling an incident, McLaughlin-Levrone revealed that her coach had huge expectations of her and pushed her to achieve goals like securing 52s in the 400m hurdles and running the 400m flat race under 50s. Opening up about how it affected her mentally, she said:

"One Saturday, coach called me around 7 or 8 pm to tell me that I had to “get it together,” that I needed to reach 52 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles and less than 50 seconds in the open 400-meters, to lead our team to a national championship. Never mind that no one had ever run some of those times at the collegiate level. It left me wracked with anxiety," said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone turned to a published author after her book, 'Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith,' released on January 30, 2024.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma