2016. The U.S. Olympic Trials were on. And a 16-year-old had just etched a U18 World Record in the women’s 400mH. That very moment was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s springboard to success. Only a few can boast of having made the Olympics at the tender age of 16. Sydney was one of them. While still in high school, she became America’s youngest track and field athlete to make it to the Olympics. But was she ready to handle the nerves? The amateur teen fumbled. And all she could do was regret, “Honestly, I robbed myself of an opportunity.” Wait, what?

Just like this, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reached Rio on sheer talent. Her potential was obvious, but the maximum she did was run the semis. A 56.22 time made her the fourth to finish the semifinal and scratched her dream to reach the finals in split seconds. Now what? Was she heartbroken? Or pumped to come back stronger? Well, one thing she knew was that she was not mentally and physically prepared to compete at such a global level this soon. Yes!

March 2025, at the 2025 Upfront Summit, Michael Johnson asked the now 6-time world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone her perspective on just missing the Olympics finals as a teen.  That’s when McLaughlin-Levrone voiced a surprising confession. “I honestly think I wasn’t prepared for that moment, and I don’t think I would have been ready to make that final,” she said. Well, the next bit was just as surprising, “There was a part of me even going into the semi-final that didn’t want to make the final.” Why, you may wonder?

Well, the American hurdle queen admitted she was getting nervous just thinking about what the pressure of the finals would feel like. Imagine a 16-year-old lined up in a stacked Olympics final field. The pressure would be towering. And that gut feeling, it never lies. Thus, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added, “I think there was just so much I didn’t know for me. I think I was relieved that I didn’t move on.” Yes, she was relieved that the semis were the end of her first Olympic stint.

But she knew this was barely the end. Her Olympic dream, her desire to wrap that gold around her neck, and shatter that world record were all alive and kicking. But something in her just knew Rio wasn’t the stage for all that. Yep, the time wasn’t it. And these aren’t things Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is saying in 2025. She’s always had this uneasy feeling about Rio. “I left Rio with the feeling that I had left something behind. It was very hard,” she said previously.

Now let’s say hypothetically, had she reached the finals, could a 16-year-old truly have ended up on the podium? Well, the chances were not bleak.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was already in good shape by 2016

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has left a mark in the 400mH races at most levels. In the USA Junior Championships in Eugene in 2014, the athlete was placed second, and the time, you may ask! It was a whopping 55.63! Also, in the New Balance Nationals in the same year, Sydney clinched a gold by clocking a solid 56.89.  But in the coming year, her time dropped considerably.

In the USA World Youth Trials, in 2015, she registered a gold finish by clocking 55.28. As if it wasn’t enough, just 17 days later, she snatched another gold (55.94) at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali. Also, in the Olympic year, in June, again she left her mark in the New Balance Nationals, claiming gold and dipping sub-55. In the very same month in the USATF Junior Championships, she finished her race in 54.54 and again got a gold finish. And just like that, two weeks later, she was at the USA Olympics Trials, where she punched her ticket to Rio by registering 54.14!

So yes, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone looked good and had a fair chance to win in Rio. With the correct mindset, she may have lowered her times from 54+ at Rio, which would have put her right back in the game.