“Sorry Mom”: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Turns Apologetic over Career Mistake After Diamond League Controversy

What can’t a 25-year-old athlete like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone do? She’s already an Olympic gold medalist, the fastest woman in her sport, and now she’s officially a Hall of Famer at the University of Kentucky! At the 2024 Paris Games, she made history as the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the 400m hurdles, breaking the world record with a time of 50.37 seconds. But during her induction speech, she opened up about a regret that still lingers.

In 2018 while competing for the Wildcats team, McLaughlin Levrone claimed both the NCAA and SEC championship titles, in the 400-meter hurdles. With this, she set a college record with a time of 52.75 seconds. Despite her accomplishments including breaking records six times, Sydney McLaughlin Levrone was part of the Kentucky track team for one season, a fact that surprisingly in part brings disappointment to her mother.

McLaughlin-Levrone feels a mix of emotions as she reflects on all she has accomplished yet can’t shake the feeling of nostalgia for her time, in Kentucky. “My year here was hard. I’m not going to act like it wasn’t — as it is for many college athletes all over the country,” McLaughlin-Levrone said during her induction speech, “but I wouldn’t change it for the world, honestly. I would not be the woman that I am had I not attended the UK.” Until that point, her speech was perfect and heartfelt, but then she revealed a story that added even more depth to her journey.

“I may not have a degree, sorry, Mom but I learned more than I ever could have imagined,” in that one year,” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared on her time at Kentucky with a mix of pride and gratitude. She made sure to thank her parents, saying, “Thank you to my parents for believing in me encouraging me to go to college, had you not done that I would not be standing here, So thank you for that.” But throughout her journey, her parents have been her support.

McLaughlin-Levrones’s upbringing was heavily influenced by her parent’s athletic backgrounds – her father Willie excelled as a three-time NCAA All-American in the 400 meters and her mother Mary was a runner, in school specializing in the distance event. The support from her family has undeniably played a role in McLaughlin Levrone’s achievements so far! However, she has also encountered obstacles during her journey to success.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s triumphs and trials through thick and thin

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone etched her name in the history books once again with a dazzling performance in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympics, a feat only matched by American legend Glenn Davis during the 1956 and 1960 Games. Her dominance didn’t stop there—later that week, McLaughlin-Levrone helped power the U.S. women’s 4×400 relay team to gold, alongside Alexis Holmes, Shamier Little, and Gabby Thomas.

Together, they finished with a blistering time of 3:15.27, setting a new U.S. record and clocking the second-fastest 4x400m relay time in history. Only the Soviet Union’s 1988 Olympic record of 3:15.17 stands in their way. It was a triumphant week for McLaughlin-Levrone, who solidified her status as one of the sport’s brightest stars.

However, her journey hit a bump. McLaughlin-Levrone was invited to compete in the prestigious Memorial Van Damme event in Brussels on September 13-14, with fans eagerly anticipating her 200m-400m double. But to the surprise of many, she didn’t compete. The Diamond League announced that McLaughlin-Levrone hadn’t met the eligibility criteria for a “Global Wild Card,” a special invitation to compete in the Diamond League Final, due to a lack of accumulated points throughout the season.

Though she wasn’t able to race in the Diamond League final, McLaughlin-Levrone still had the opportunity to compete in Brussels in a non-Diamond event. Despite this setback the unparalleled talent she hones continues to make her a standout, proving once again that she’s far from finished, and making her parents, and her country, incredibly proud.