Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was always the favorite to win the gold medal at the 400m hurdles. Time and time again, she has broken world records as if it’s nothing. Even her competitors themselves have described her as a generational athlete. In the Olympic trials, she broke her world record, finishing in 50.65 seconds. This was the fifth time she did so. Thus, it was only natural that she’d do that in Paris. And she very well did!

McLaughlin-Levrone won the gold medal with a time of 50.37 seconds, breaking her record again. No other athlete was even close to her. Anna Cockrell who finished second had a time of 51.87 seconds. This amazing feat made her the undisputed queen of the sport. Thus, fans want to see her compete whenever it is possible because it is really a privilege to do so. Fans, however, get agitated when this does not happen. The reason? Keep reading to find out!

The list for the women competing in the Diamond League, which will be held on 22nd August, has come out. Athletes like Femke Bol and Shamier Little will be competing in it. Notably, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is missing and fans are not pleased with this. She has been quite heavily bashed for this in social media. But that evidently doesn’t matter to her. Recently, she gave advice to aspiring track and field stars in a video floating around on the internet. If looked at closely, it tells a lot about her mindset.

Sydney McLauglin-Levrone gives her thoughts on how to be a successful track star

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently gave advice to youngsters who aspire to be in track and field. She said, “I would just say, there are no limits on what’s possible even for yourself, whatever that looks like starting out. Just trust your own path. Trust your own journey. Don’t look to the left and to the right. Just look at what’s in front of you and just keep chasing that every day.” These words are very important in increasing the self confidence of the athlete.

However, it also shows her stance on a few things. Her inactivity, which has been questioned time and time again since the Tokyo Olympics by her fans, was a conscious choice. Fans have said things like she only competes in the topmost tournaments like the Olympics and World Championships. She very rarely competes in the Diamond League. This time too, she missed it because she wanted to prepare for Paris. But, she has chosen what is right for her career and what would help her deliver the top performances on the track.

While it does feel unfair to the fans who want to always watch her, she needs to look at what’s best for her career. The extraordinary performance she has given time and time again is a testament to the fact that she knows what she’s doing. The other thing which her quote gives context to, is her signing up to Michael Johnson’s league.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone signs up to Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track

In June, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone became the first athlete to sign up for Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam track event. It’s supposed to be a huge competition as the prize money is a sum of $100,000. The Grand Slam track will take place next April. About the event, she said, “It’s going to elevate the platforms of the athletes that compete more than once every four years… and just give opportunities for athletes to be compensated for the hard work we put in,” However, the fans were not really sold on the idea.

Many criticized her because they believed that she was only competing for monetary benefits. The prize money of the grand slam is much bigger than Diamond League’s $30,000. That is the main reason she’ll be competing according to them. It’s an interesting situation as McLaughlin-Levrone seems to have chosen the route of innovative competitions rather than the traditional ones. Will the decision pay off? It’s hard to say. But wherever she competes, she’s expected to put in another jaw-dropping performance.