Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is still breaking records nearly every time she hits the track. At Paris, the icon improved her world record and set a new Olympic record in the 400m hurdles. However, amidst the height of her success, the 25-year-old is thinking ahead to a life with family, beyond her track and field career. In fact, she is looking to other legends for inspiration.

“When I think about my life after the track, I dream of starting a family,” McLaughlin-Levrone explained in her book. The Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith author has focused on becoming the best all her life. The 25-year-old strived to earn Olympic gold since childhood, and now she’s looking to Olympic legends like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the blueprint for her future.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dreams of “being a mom.” While she has no clue when it’ll happen, the athlete has role models to follow. “Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Nia Ali, and a host of other women have shown that not only can you compete again after becoming a mom, but you can come back to the sport stronger,” Mclaughlin-Levrone confessed.

However, the Queen of Hurdles doesn’t want to take any steps hastily. “If and when that happens, I will leave to the Lord’s timing, but the desire is strong in my heart.” Levrone wrote in Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith. One of the women who inspired the 400m hurdles Olympic champion to even consider the possibility of having children while in her prime is none other than the third-fastest woman in history.

The 37-year-old became a mother in 2017 after overcoming her fair share of challenges. “Initially. I never really felt supported when I was pregnant,” Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce revealed in a post on X by Owen M. Recovering from the C-section procedure also took longer than she thought. Despite these challenges, the Jamaican returned to win the 100m world championship title in 2019.

Then in 2021, the mother of then-three-year-old Zyon won her third Olympic gold during the 4x100m relay in Tokyo. So it’s not surprising to see why the ten-time world champion inspired Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. However, there’s another reason why the 25-year-old and her husband are yet to have children.

Things are yet to fall into place for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Faith has been one of the guiding principles of the Olympic gold medalist. “When we can have joy in our trials and tribulations, it shows our genuineness in our faith,” McLaughlin-Levrone said in December 2023, during the Dream Check Podcast. Similarly, her husband Andre Levrone is also a student of faith and even attends a seminary to study theology.

So while Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is focused on her career, the former Baltimore Ravens player is focused on starting a new chapter in his life. “Andre wants to be a pastor and care for all people, regardless of their skin color, age, or wealth,” the 25-year-old revealed in her book. Hence, despite feeling ready, the couple has held off having their first child.

The New Jersey native also has a strong desire to move to the East Coast—a desire her husband shares. After all, their families live near the East Coast and that’s where they got married. So a lot of little things need to fall into place before Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone embarks on her journey to motherhood.