When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone first stepped on the tracks for Heat 1 of the Tokyo Olympics, she witnessed a site like no other. Although she was no longer the “scared girl” who found herself out of depth at Rio 2016, laying her eyes upon the massive but empty stadium felt unnatural. That feeling continued as McLaughlin-Levrone launched into a sprint at the sound of the starting gun.

“I don’t know if it was the time change or the empty stadium, but I was struggling to find the aggression I needed.” The 25-year-old wrote in Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear of Faith. The Olympic gold medalist equated her experience to daydreaming, as she couldn’t really get into the groove. And although the Olympian made it through the first round, her struggles had just begun.

Nature Drenched Sydney’s Dreams—Quite Literally!

Feeling that she had accomplished what was required, McLaughlin-Levrone turned her attention toward round two. The world record holder revealed that although Heat 2 wasn’t “perfect,” the hurdler was finding her stride again. What’s more? McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach surprised her. “I had nearly sixty hours to wait and prepare (before the semifinal),” she revealed.

As his pupil rested, coach Bob Keerse arrived, waiting for the sprinter in the practice area. “As if he’d been there the whole time,” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. With her coach at Tokyo, and two races under her belt, the 25-year-old felt unstoppable. However, nature had a different plan as it started raining. “The rain was a torrent. It’s a hurdler’s worst nightmare.” the Olympic gold medalist wrote in her book.

Spiriting in the rain isn’t uncommon, and it rained even during the Paris Olympics. However, this was the hurdles, and rain brought with it a bunch of complications. “There is a higher chance you can easily slip, crash into the barriers, land in a puddle, or lose your balance,” revealed the New Jersey resident. As the rain worsened, an Olympic official approached McLaughlin-Levrone

“Do you wanna wait?” asked the official. And while the question caught Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone off-guard, she didn’t wait. The Olympian was confident that not even pouring rain could stop her and the rest, as they say, is history. Not only did the Americans make it to the finals but won the gold medal in world record time. However, she couldn’t have done it without Coach Bobby.

How Bob Kersee kept the world record holder’s eyes on the prize

McLaughlin-Levrone knew running in an Olympic semifinal during pouring rain was pushing it to the extreme. Although knew that one slip would end her Olympic dream, coach Bob Kersee was there to calm the world champion’s nerves. “Bobby kept me focused on the goal.” admitted the 400m hurdles specialist.

The legend who coached Florence Griffith-Joyner knew there was no margin for error. So he revised every detail of their hurdling strategy with the 25-year-old. From getting into a rhythm for the first hurdles to pushing from the midway point, Kresee drilled every step into Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s mind. “We’re going to qualify with the fastest time.” inspired Coach Bobby.

Her coach’s words coupled with years of racing experience kept the Olympian from crashing. Looking back, the achievement becomes even more monumental because McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t start working with Kersee until 2020. After running into difficulties training under Joanna Hayes, McLaughlin-Levrone switched camps. Since then, she has won four Olympic golds and set six world records.