At the Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone made history by shattering her own world record for the sixth time. Her astonishing time of 50.37 seconds not only left her Dutch rival Femke Bol far behind but also prompted the World Athletics president to reconsider the heights of the women’s hurdle event. After the race, the track and field athlete shared her thoughts on how she has been repeatedly achieving such feats.

While at that time she gave an insight into her mentality process, a recent interaction with a six-year-old gave us a breakdown of her strategy during the race. McLaughlin-Levrone once again proved her prowess when she won the special invitational women’s 400m at the Diamond League two weeks ago, so it was interesting to hear her talk about her game plan.

McLaughlin-Levrone made a surprise appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show on September 28, to present a medal to the fastest six-year-old in the USA, Alaya Armbrister. Armbrister is a two-time AAU gold medalist and was visibly excited when she had the chance to interact with the Paris Olympic gold medalist.

Armbrister then asked McLaughlin-Levrone about her strategy when she runs the 400m. The world record holder replied, “Well, you want to get out that first 100 really hard and maintain down the backstretch, right? So you get into a good pace and maintain until 200.” Armbrister listened keenly as her question not only helped her understand the thought process of a champion but also gave us an idea of how McLaughlin-Levrone operates.

“When you get right into 250 is when you start to really kick again for that last 100, and then that last 50 when all the lactic acid starts to hit you, you just keep that form, which I saw you kept you form really good during the race. Keep those arms pumping, right?” the track and field athlete further added, while also showing appreciation for Armbrister’s talents. Moreover, McLaughlin-Levrone who would have inspired numerous young girls with her feats on the track, talked about how the 6-year-old motivated her.

Talking about Armbrister, she added, “It’s so inspiring and it encourages me to want to continue to be better because I remember being that young. Yeah, it motivates me, to want to continue to push forward too because I know that young amazing athletes like her are watching.” 

This would have been quite a moment for the Armbrister to get to spend some time with a world-class athlete in McLaughlin-Levrone. But that was not all, the Olympic champion also had an important piece of advice to share with her.

She said, “Just continue to run your race. Everybody progresses differently, and every athlete progresses differently. So focus on your lane and focus on what’s ahead of you don’t compare your journey to everybody else’s.” McLaughlin-Levrone is the right person to advise the young athlete as her recent achievements suggest.

At the US Olympic trials, she set a record of 50.65 seconds, and a month later she would break the record leading to her gold medal triumph in Paris. This even led to suggestions that the height of the hurdles in the women’s event should be reviewed. Lord Coe, the president of World Athletics, revealed. “There’s probably a case now for looking at the height of the hurdles because these guys don’t really look like they are breaking their form very much – that’s a mixture of good hurdling and probably the height.”

The men’s hurdles are set at 91.4cm (36 inches) while the height of the hurdle for women is 76.2cm (30 inches). “The innovation teams will be looking at all sorts of things. It’s very much a personal view, I’ve spoken to a couple of 400-metre hurdlers and they think that actually, it’s probably something we might want to look at,” Coe added.

Well, this would be a challenge that the Olympic gold medalist would relish because, for her, the sky’s truly the limit. Her comments about her world record would lead you to believe that an increase in the difficulty would only motivate her further.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her record-breaking triumph

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been absolutely crushing it ever since she set that world record in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2021 Olympics.

When Jennifer Hudson asked her, “Okay, let me get this straight. In Paris you broke your own record in 400 meter hurdles for the sixth time. How does that feel?” Sydney kept it real, saying, “Honestly, I was just like Alaya, I always wanted to be a track athlete. I always aspired to go to the Olympics. And so, this being my third Olympics, being able to break that record for the sixth time, it’s nothing short of God’s grace.”

After breaking the record yet again in Paris, she also talked about the competition and how she is able to rise above every time when the lights are brighter. She said, “Sure, there are competitors around you pushing hard, but the trick is to keep your eyes on the hurdles and stay focused. My goal was to tackle each hurdle efficiently and keep shaving time off.”

At the end of the day, for Sydney, it’s never just about the numbers or the wins. It’s about chasing that dream she had as a kid and pushing herself to new heights. Her words, we hope, will inspire many others like Alaya Armbrister and help them fulfill their dreams.