“Nothing Has Changed”: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Returning to Roots Has Track and Field Star Showing Unique Side

When she’s competing in the track, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone seems very serious, as the only thought in her mind at that time is of winning. Even during most of her interviews, she retains this persona. This has made some of the Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone fans think that she’s quite serious in real life. But, at a University of Kentucky event, the hurdler showed a much different side of her, which was much more joyful than what she’s known for.

On September 19th, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky. This honor was given to her alongside five other candidates. But what made her induction special was the fact that she spent only one season in college. The reason? After that, she turned pro. During that season, she won both the NCAA and SEC titles while setting the college record of 52.75 seconds.

Some college friends of Sydney’s were present during the function and congratulated her on their Instagram Stories. A Kentucky graduate, Avery Teresa, uploaded a photo of hers with Sydney and congratulated her while also writing, “Back where it started.” In this image, the Olympic gold medalist was seen laughing heartily, contradicting her serious image. She replied to the story, saying, “So much, and nothing has changed at all at the same time.”

Carly Hinkle, who too is a former Kentucky track athlete, also uploaded a video of Sydney giving an interview after the honor. She captioned it with, “Hall of Fame Inductee. Incredibly proud of you, Sydney. You deserve this and more. I love you.” The hurdler replied to this gesture in her own story, saying, “Love you so much, sweet girl!”. It was a great moment for the athlete’s fans, as she seemed delighted to return to the place where it all started for her while being honored.

The reception she received matched her stature as an athlete. But she was not always the winning machine that she is today. When she raced for the first time, she was quite reluctant.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalls her first race at the age of six

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone comes from a family of athletes. Her father Willie was a 400m track star while her mother Mary was a middle-distance runner. Her brother Taylor was also a 400m hurdler who was considered one of the best during his NCAA days and won the USA Junior Championship in 2016. Thus, it was natural that Sydney would progress in their footsteps. However, the hurdler was very nervous the first time she raced at the age of six.

In an interview with Jesus Calling, she recalled feeling immensely terrified when she reached the tracks. However, as soon as the gun went off, Sydney became a different person. The World record holder said, ” I just felt so free. And there was so much fun between the start and finish line that by the time I finished, I was number one, glad it was over with, but I hadn’t even realized that I’d won the race.” As she finished first place, the athlete’s dad realized that she had a special talent since she had received no formal training until then. After this victory, she started taking track seriously, and the rest is history.