When you hear the name Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, you seldom think about a track and field celebrity who’s not confident about herself. But even the greatest stars of the sport can sometimes bite more than they can chew. While McLaughlin remains one of the most decorated Olympians of the country, her stint at the 2016 Rio Olympics was a major learning point in her illustrious career.

At the 2020 Olympics, Sydney bagged two golds, both of which she defended successfully at the Paris Games last month. Naturally, her prowess should be beyond any spec of doubt. But that wasn’t always the case, as the 25-year-old reveals herself.

In her book Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released earlier this year, McLaughlin-Levrone sheds light on how she had to pull up her socks after a disappointing 17th-place finish at the Rio event eight years ago. “Maybe I had the physical gifts to reach the finals or possibly even win a medal in Rio, but I was not mentally prepared to do what it was going to take,” she confesses earnestly. However, she also knew that this was a chance that many athletes longed to achieve in their lives, and she was staring at it right in the face.

“Despite the setbacks, I had to acknowledge that my family, coaches, and I were still living the dream of attending the Olympics. We had to make some time to enjoy it,” writes McLaughlin-Levrone. With that in mind, she turned her sites from her own woes to try and make the most of the opportunity at hand, and she had just the people in the vicinity to enjoy the action unfolding. “Spending time with my high school coaches truly made me feel less bad about my actions in the semifinal,” notes Sydney in her book, as she underscored how the journey from high school to the grandest stage was an ecstatic one for all of them.

However, the latent thoughts couldn’t be ignored altogether. “…the thought looming in the back of my mind was that I had some growing up to do,” states the 4x Olympic gold medalist. It’s probably this kind of determination to bounce back from her adversities that has made her the phenome that she is now.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: From sorrow to the top of the world

For the ardent track and field fan, it’s common knowledge by now that McLaughlin-Levrone prefers to stay off the tracks unless it’s a really important year. While the reason behind this is often cited as her coach Bob Kersee’s levied importance on gold medals and championships, Sydney’s popularity has rarely dwindled because of this. But it also keeps her away from the action, much to the displeasure of her fans. In 2024, while most of her comrades were looking at any opportunity they got as a chance to fine-tune their skills before the 33rd Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone rarely participated in events. For this precise reason, she didn’t even get enough qualifying points for the season finale of the Diamond League tournament. And still, her incredible popularity prompted the organizers to nod their hats at her in a special way.

At the Diamond League season-closer in Brussels, the hosts held two special events that would see the Olympian run two flat 200m and 400m races. While she didn’t get a chance to compete in the finals, the fact that certain rules were bent just to get her to run at the event is a confirmation of the respect her name commands in the international track and field scene. Considering how her first Olympic experience didn’t pan out as she would have wanted, it can be safe to assume that the experience jolted her into reality which made her double down on her training. What’s the next milestone waiting for the enigmatic star to achieve? What new professional mountain would you like to see Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone conquer next? Tell us below!