As the gun popped at the Olympic track for the women’s 400-meter hurdle, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who was only Sydney McLaugling then, swished across the tracks and jumped over every hurdle. And she made the astounding new World Record by reaching the finishing line in 50.37 seconds. But before becoming a world sensation, Sydney went through every odds one can imagine, especially with a sad tone of love. However, the odds didn’t bog her down, especially when a deeply spiritual mindset was there to see the light of hope. In this case—the lover-turned-husband Andre Levrone Jr. was that light through a dark tunnel of digital caricature.

Love blossomed between the talented NFL wide receiver, Andre Levrone, and our own Sydney as she ventured into the uncharted waters of her heart. A spiritual person since the age of sixteen, Sydney McLaughlin often turned to God for guidance and understanding. Even as she fell in love with the NFL star, she continued to rely on her faith to guide her. “As Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” She acknowledged this in her book—Far Beyond Gold. Surprisingly, Levrone slid into her DM from a blue-ticked account and sought her attention in a pretty straightforward way. With her friend’s seal of approval, Sydney took a chance on Andre. Eventually, they hit it off and have been inseparable ever since.

How Sydney McLaughlin fell for Andre Levrone and her subsequent embarrassment

Sydney McLaughlin went public with her relationship in 2021, revealing how she found her Mr. Perfect. But everything perfect in a guy seems a fantasy, especially for a girl who saw her broken heart just a year ago. She was skeptical about Andre Levrone, as she wrote, “I kept thinking, Where’s the flaw? What am I missing? Why is “Mr. Perfect” still single? Something must be wrong with him.” And then she went on a date with him, full of trepidation in her mind about what was coming.

That fear consumed Sydney at the end of this dating. She abruptly screeched away in the car when the love of her life presented the utmost etiquette. “After our conversation, Andre walked me back to my car. When we arrived, we hugged goodbye. As I went to open my door, he stepped in to open it for me. Stubbornly insisting on doing it myself, I told him I was ‘fine.’ I then proceeded to get in my car, say goodbye, and drive off.” The whole moment was drenched in embarrassment, as Sydney’s past came rushing back, peeling open old wounds she thought had long healed.

The troubled past hinders every step, but Sydney McLaughlin, with Andre, sets herself free

As Sydney McLaughlin looks back on her past, she realizes that many hurdles the hurdler did conquer, but in the beginning, she was weighed down by anxiety. She remembered her first Olympic trial in 2016 in Eugene, Oregon, when the self-abashing feeling sprung up. “I had never felt so unprepared, so undeserving, and so uncertain of what I was supposed to do,” she thought. But you know the instinct in her rose higher at the commencement of that trial. She competed and defeated the NCAA champion, Kori Carter, at the 400-meter hurdle. When she finally regained her nerve, she realized she was winning the hurdle. “Before I knew it, we were pushing down the backstretch, 200 meters to go. Somehow, I not only managed to keep Kori in sight, but I nosed ahead of her down the final stretch,” Sydney wrote.

But the rocky roads had other bumps in Sydney McLaughlin’s path. Her five-month love, which seemed perennial then, broke up when the familiar and seemingly comforting individual from the high school refused to be her future. That lowest of the lows moment in 2019, Sydney’s life was brittle of love, and she was heartbroken. “You meet a boy, you fall in love, you get married, and you’re basically a princess. Why wasn’t that how it worked?” But there’s the catch in her every failing shot. Surely, love worked later for her with the kindest NFL guy. But she already had made the embarrassing run-off.

Andre, her football-playing beau, was there to pick up the pieces after her little blunder. He reminded her to keep her head up and trust in God. Their faith was a big part of what brought them together.