Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone almost got her Tokyo dreams over with the impending COVID threat. Back in 2020, the entire world was wrapped in an envelope of fear and despair with the COVID-19 virus wreaking havoc. 

As a result, almost every major event was either canceled or postponed to a later date. Similarly, the Tokyo Olympics were also pushed to 2021. Yet the athletes could not escape the bloodred eyes of the deadly virus. 

And this was exactly what made Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone frustrated to the core. Sharing a harrowing story, the track and field icon recently opened up on the Amazon documentary ‘Beyond Gold Running Faith’. Recalling her time in Tokyo, McLaughin-Levrone stated that she was immediately asked to serve quarantine as one of her teammates was diagnosed with COVID-19. As the athlete was in the same hall in the village with McLaughlin-Levrone, she was considered a close contact. 

Thankfully, the track queen had her own private room that somewhat ensured her safety. However, on the contrary, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had the risk of getting infected by using the common passages like the hallways and the bathroom. Expressing her fear of getting her Olympic dreams crushed, McLaughlin-Levrone stated, “Each day, we endured multiple rounds of testing, knowing that if we got a positive, our Olympic dreams were over. I became hyperaware of my body. Am I showing any symptoms? Am I feeling tired, congested, or lightheaded?”

In order to eliminate the risk of infection, the track team asked the authorities to provide a separate lodging outside of the Olympic Village. This was initially done by the US women’s gymnastics team, which opted to stay outside. However, this was possible for them as there were only 5 members representing women’s gymnastics. On the contrary, things were quite complicated for the track and field team as they had a total of 100 members. 

Thus, with no other way out, McLaughlin-Levrone had to stay within the village. And thus, according to her, she became ‘hyperaware’ of her body. The track queen had to go through several tests twice a day. Describing the experience as ‘nerve-wracking’, McLaughlin-Levrone always had the fear of coming out positive, thus, ending her dreams. However, overcoming all the odds, McLaughlin-Levrone emerged as one of the biggest stars of the track and field realm.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is now a champion beating all the odds

Thankfully, things went well with McLaughlin-Levrone as she was untouched by the deadly virus. Now, once the threat of COVID was over, it was all glory for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Participating in the 400m hurdles in Tokyo, McLaughlin-Levrone had one of the best runs in her life. She won the gold medal and followed it with yet another gold in the 4x 400m relay. Following her success in the Olympics, the track icon only grew in stature capturing almost all the records in the 400m hurdles category. 

Interestingly, McLaughlin-Levrone had some doubts cast over her chances in Paris. This was due to the meteoric rise of Dutch athlete, Femke Bol. But once the showtime came, McLaughlin-Levrone proved who the real queen was. She not only won two more Olympic golds but also went on to obliterate the world and the Olympic record. Running a time of 50.37s, McLaughlin-Levrone established a new 400m hurdles record, cementing her position as a GOAT in the track and field realm.