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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about the fame and expectations she received after returning from the 2016 Rio Olympics. She shared how, although she was still just a teenager, people started looking at her differently and how there was an unspoken pressure to act more grown-up.
The former youth world champion explained how she felt caught between two worlds, fame and youth, where she was expected to handle the spotlight and try to experience a normal high school life simultaneously. She also acknowledged that her school’s track and field team gained more attention following her Olympic debut, which led to receiving both admiration and criticism.
In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone talked about these expectations.
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“Coming back to high school was a difficult landscape to navigate. People were looking at me a certain way. There was an unspoken expectation to be a mature woman, yet I was still expected to finish my senior year, choose a college, go to prom, and continue being the same person I was before Rio,” she stated.
“I understood the excitement and newness of all the endeavors that were coming my way, as well as to those around me. Still, the reality was, this wasn’t normal. For example, my school gained much notoriety from the 2016 Olympic Games, as did our track team. We were now viewed in an even bigger spotlight with expectations and curiosity for what we were going to do next.”
She also mentioned in her memoir about teenage fame bringing massive scrutiny, something she believes no teen should have to face.
Notably, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had qualified for her first Olympics at the age of 16 with her third-place finish at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. In her debut Games, she finished as a semi-finalist.
Now a four-time Olympic champion, the American hurdler continues to break barriers, having already broken the world record on six occasions.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens on her goal and source of motivation leading up to LA Olympics 2028
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about her motivation leading up to the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, scheduled to take place in her home country. During her interaction with Michael Johnson (via Upfront Ventures), released in March 2025, she was asked what her goals were leading up to the Games, considering she’s always there at the top of the sport.
She shared how the fact that there is always room for growth is what encourages her to go for more, and she appreciated the track and field sport due to its nature.
“I think the motivation is that there's always something you can do better. Until somebody runs 0.001, there's always something we can improve upon,” she said [20:03 onwards]
“I think track and field right now is just in such a unique place where you're seeing athletes just do unbelievable things every year. To me, it's just so exciting to be a part of that especially bringing it back home for LA and just the opportunities it's going to present for our sport,” the 25-year-old added.
She further mentioned that her goal is to keep analyzing, improving, and breaking her limits in the lead-up to LA 2028, with the Games in sight.
