In 2020, the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics shocked the sporting world. For athletes, the COVID-19 restrictions had already disrupted their routines, creating unprecedented challenges. The delay in hosting the Games only added to their struggles, turning those months into a nightmare for many. However, for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the wait came as a blessing in disguise. The delay in the schedule gave her extra time to make her preparation more robust. Furthermore, she earned an opportunity to pivot. 

Sydney wasn’t keen on shaking up her coaching setup in an Olympic year—who would be? But for her, the change was overdue. She admitted she “wasn’t processing” her then-coach’s guidance, so sticking around wasn’t doing her any favors. The Olympic postponement gave her a chance to hit reset. She switched coaches, and while it was the right move for her, it ruffled some family feathers. Why? Because the old coach was a “mother figure” to her, and that’s not an easy tie to sever. But Sydney admits she walked away with a few life lessons because apparently, a coaching change doubles as a crash course in personal growth.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone learned something new the hard way 

In her book, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t hold back on the tough stuff. She opened up about leaving Joanna Hayes’s coaching facility—a place she once described as home, with Hayes as “a second mother.” While the move was necessary, it didn’t come wrapped in fond memories. Why? Well, Sydney admitted: “I’d messed up. In order to avoid difficult conversations, I’d damaged relationships with people I cared about. Of the many lessons I learned in 2020, that was one of the toughest. You can’t run from hard conversations. You can’t hide from reality, even if you’re afraid.” So what went down?

Hayes wasn’t just a coach; she was practically family. She played a huge role in developing Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s career, and Sydney’s brother, Taylor—also a hurdler—trained with her too. This tight-knit dynamic made Hayes more than just a mentor; she was a major part of the McLaughlin clan. So, when Sydney decided to leave Hayes’s mentorship, she skipped a key step: telling her brother directly. Instead, she let their dad break the news. Cue the drama.

Sure, he understood her reasons for the switch, but her lack of communication turned their sibling relationship into something that felt purely transactional. Reflecting on the fallout, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wrote, “The chaos didn’t end there. I then made the mistake of letting my dad break the news to my older brother, Taylor…”Why did I find out from Dad and not you?” was the first thing he said to me after hearing the news. He understood why I was making the change, but the lack of direct communication made our familial relationship feel strictly business.”

The whole ordeal hammered home a lesson she wouldn’t forget: “You can’t run from hard conversations. You can’t hide from reality, even if you’re afraid. If you want to compete at the highest level, you’ve got to make hard choices, but you’ve got to handle them the right way. This means having integrity.” After all, integrity is the cornerstone of athletic greatness. Think she pulled it off?

The lessons learned showed up in Levrone’s phenomenal career 

After leaving Joanna Hayes’s factory, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone came under Bobby Kersee’s wings in 2020. Her knowledge of working with Kersee at UCLA made her join his coaching camp. Furthermore, Allyson Felix’s presence in the coaching camp also motivated her to land there. She also claimed, “It’s been a really great experience being around both her [Allyson Felix] and Bobby and just at a young age being able to soak up as much as I can as she’s at the end of her career.” Did she remain true to her words and the lessons she learned? Of course, she did. 

Before the Tokyo Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was on a coaching carousel, switching three coaches in just five years. But since teaming up with technical mastermind Bobby Kersee in 2020, she’s finally found her groove—and her records prove it. She’s smashed the 400m hurdles world record multiple times, snagged four Olympic golds, and added a world championship title to her résumé.

But her integrity has yet to face a question. Meanwhile, her days with Felix also taught her the needed tidbits to perform at the highest level. She is still riding on those maxims. Nonetheless, it is necessary in any phase of life to face the demons head-on. How do you feel about SML’s confession? Tell us in the comment section below!