Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a versatile athlete who excels on and off the track. In the 400m hurdles event, she can break her own world record not once or twice but 6 times in 4 years. Despite spending several seasons away, she is capable of winning. Despite not having much authority, she can still participate in the 200m events. Away from the court, the 25-year-old juggles responsibilities like a pro! Isn’t it like having a pool of skills in one wrap itself? However, Sydney’s life did not always run as well.

Since her emergence on the track, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been turning heads because of her ability. However, she once earned the name “Sid the Kid” because of her goofy nature. The title even followed her in the Rio Olympics when she debuted on the grandest stage as a 16-year-old. But in the Paris Olympics, the New Jersey native has proved that she’s cruised past all those tags. Yet, that does not guarantee that Sydney has forgotten those days. 

In her book Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, Sydney has thoroughly drawn and mapped out pictures of her life, showcasing a similarity to the mind of Riley Andersen, a character in Disney Pixar’s Inside Out. Just like the junior high school girl character, Sydney’s life as well, used to be divided into four segments with no strings between them. 

They have a distinct term for each of the segments: ‘islands.’ In the instance of the Inside Out character, she creates 4 such islands to depict the character’s life. These are “Family Island, Goofball Island, Hockey Island, Honesty Island, and Friendship Island”. However, according to Riley, these islands faced extinction in the movie after the character had experienced a seismic change in her life.

The Olympian’s experience was fairly similar. Yet, in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s life, the 4 islands remained: “Relationship Island. Track Island. Friendship Island. Faith Island.” Per her, “Not all of them are thriving.” But she witnessed a connection between all islands in someone’s story. SML penned her experience of watching all those islands attached and working fine in the story of Andre Levrone Jr. That specialty impressed the two-time world champion like nothing else. But the unattached islands in Sydney’s life did not affect her flowery run on the track. Instead, she consistently went above and beyond to make up for any deficiencies. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stands firm in the face of the daunting challenges 

In her book, McLaughlin-Levrone mentioned the character facing changes after experiencing emotional turmoil. In Sydney’s case as well, such a situation would have come. But in reality, her utmost faith in God, her relationship with her then-boyfriend Andre Levrone Jr. (now husband), and her trust in her coach Bobby Kersee made her topple every barrier. One such came in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when Sydney felt nervous to tackle the challenges of Femke Bol and Dalilah Muhammad at the 400m hurdles event. Before appearing in the semi-final event, she couldn’t find Andre or Bobby beside her to motivate her. Yet, she took the fast lane. 

In the same book, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone summed up her emotions before attending the semi-final event. It was a roller-coaster ride for her. Furthermore, the torrential downpour on the track during the event doubled the challenge for her.

Yet, the former Kentucky Wildcats athlete did not drop her guard. Indeed, she drew motivation from Michael Phelps to press on despite setbacks. In the end, she left the track smiling and murmuring, “I would be competing for gold.” That speaks volumes about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s character on the track and personal life. But now her fans have a detailed look at her transformation.