Double U.S. Gold hopeful Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has captured the hearts of athletics enthusiasts worldwide with her unparalleled prowess on the track. She is already an Olympic double gold medallist, having won the 2020 Tokyo Games for the 4×400 relay and 400m hurdle. However, there might be reason to believe that this year could be the second time she is bestowed the honor. This would make track and field history. But at present, McLaughlin-Levrone is focusing on more than just her training. 

Though she holds several world records, one of them being her 400mH 50.68 second performance, becoming the 1st woman ever to break 51s. This is in addition to the 2023 hurdles record time of 48.74 seconds. But, she is not a superhuman. In her book, Far Beyond Gold, McLaughlin-Levrone discusses “letting go,” as well as just focusing on the present and the race before her. 

Facing her fears: The untold story behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s track journey

Recently, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone got candid with CNB Sport. She sat down for the interview and discussed her anxieties before the Paris Games. She told the host, “I think anxiety and fear for me kind of just came from my desire to want to be perfect in all things and the reality is that nobody can do that and I think for me that was a constant battle internally of how do I get as close to perfect as possible.” Even though she started running when she was 6 and eventually became the world’s fastest 400m hurdler, she was plagued with doubts.

She added, “In a world where you can’t control your circumstances or what happen happens to you all the time uh for me it constantly left me in a state of fear and especially on the track racing against other people who are as good if not better um that was a constant Battle of I enough will I ever be enough.” She struggled with not measuring up to the standards of others and herself, especially when she didn’t medal in the 2016 Rio Games. 

Recently, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone confirmed that she is looking forward to competing in the 400mH in Paris. However, recently, she topped the 200m at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix. She even recorded a personal best of 22.07 seconds, recording the second-fastest time in the world this year. This has made fans eager to watch her run the 200m sprint in the Olympics, aiming for two gold medals. Sydney seemed hesitant to comment on that in another interview with LetsRun.com, saying, “Honestly, I would have loved to get 21.99, but I’m really happy with that,” adding, “I think 400 hurdles is my bread and butter. That’s what I’m most comfortable with, so we’re going to try to get back to that.”

Her foremost focus at the moment is being in top form to compete. To recover from her past injury, she went through a lot of prevention and care, and rehabilitation. Though this was another aspect that put her under immense emotional duress, Levrone is beginning to heal. Yet, beneath her glittering achievements lies a surprising revelation about her struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and negativity.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s path to self-acceptance and strength in imperfection

The sprinter has been burdened by perfectionism and anxiety for a long time. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone revealed that during the 2016 Rio Olympics, she held back due to her fear of not winning. Hence deciding to end her season early. She described the experience saying, “Honestly, I robbed myself of an opportunity. I don’t know what would have happened, but I really didn’t want to find out. I left Rio with the feeling that I had left something behind.”

She added, “I’ll never forget it. I must have been going past the eighth fence and I was thinking, ‘I’m going to make sure I don’t make this final’. I don’t care if my season ends early, I just want it to be over.” After the Doha Championship, she was even more heartbroken when she placed 2nd, missing gold by a hair. After that, she decided to take her mental health seriously.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said her journey towards getting better began with God. Though she grew up Catholic, she did not always believe in God. However, she said that redirecting her sense of identity and self-worth from performance to her faith in Christ has “helped everything else in her life to fall into place.” At a very low point during the Covid pandemic, she surrendered herself to God, leading to a breakthrough where “the gospel became clear” to her. She found solace in reading Colossians 3, which helped her view life more objectively, free from anxiety and fear. She also gains strength from her husband, former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr., who has stood by her through thick and thin.