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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her early career struggles, overcoming fear to achieve historic success in 2024.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not always confident about her place on the world stage.
The 2024 Female Track Athlete of the Year has cemented her legacy with two Olympic gold medals in Paris and multiple world records, but her journey to the top was far from straightforward.
The hurdles champion recently opened up about the struggles she faced during her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games.
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In her newly released memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith, McLaughlin-Levrone candidly reflected on the fear that clouded what should have been a monumental chapter in her career.
“As Rio approached, fear stole one of the great seasons of my life,” she wrote.
At just 16 years old, McLaughlin-Levrone became the youngest American track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics in over four decades.
She had already broken a world junior record at the U.S. Olympic Trials, clocking an impressive 54.15 seconds in the 400m hurdles to secure her spot on Team USA.
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However, the New Jersey native revealed that behind the record-breaking performance, she struggled with mounting pressure and self-doubt.
"My family had sacrificed time, money, and energy. My parents had put my athletic career over their interests. They’d made this incredible opportunity possible. How could I tell them I was dreading it?" she recounted in her memoir.
Despite her parents' encouragement, McLaughlin-Levrone admitted she never wanted to compete at the Trials and felt even more apprehensive about representing her country at the Olympics.
The Rio Games, intended as a celebration of her talent and determination, became a source of dread.
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Burdened by expectations, she admitted to deliberately underperforming in the semifinals, a decision she regretted instantly.
“Millions dream of it. I was about to experience it. Yet all I could think about was the very real possibility of losing,” McLaughlin-Levrone wrote.
Eight years later, McLaughlin-Levrone has transformed her fear into fuel, becoming a dominant force in the sport.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she claimed two gold medals in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay, setting world records in the hurdles twice during the season.
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Her relay split of 47.71 seconds was the third-fastest in history, showcasing her unparalleled speed and endurance.
This historic season earned her the prestigious World Athletics Female Track Athlete of the Year award. McLaughlin-Levrone’s closest competition for the honor was Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, who made history of her own by winning the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the 100m and securing a silver in the 200m.
Despite Alfred’s exceptional performances, McLaughlin-Levrone’s record-breaking achievements in multiple events set her apart.
World Athletics described her year as one of “absolute dominance,” and her performances in Paris solidified her reputation as one of the greatest athletes of her generation.
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