American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a name not unknown to anyone who loves track and field. She has various records, titles, Olympic medals, and an undeniable influence. Yet, despite her professional success, her life has been far from easy. Behind her success lies a story of internal conflict, self-doubt, and thoughts of quitting the track and field. Did you know that at one point, McLaughlin-Levrone even walked away from the sport she loved all her life?

However, a transformative shift helped her realize the worth of herself and redefined her purpose. Rather than seeing herself from the limited perspective of only an athlete, she started believing in God, and a question pursued in her mind: what exactly was “God’s plan” for her life? And therein began her transformation from being just good to being the best in her sport. However, that wasn’t always the case… things took a turn for worse. So much so that she once considered quitting the sport entirely. Wonder why?

What led Sydney to consider quitting her career?

We often have a mindset that athletes who have found success at an early age must be living with stress, just doing a sport, and good to go. But reality is far from this. They also get depressed sometimes, they also feel like doing nothing, and they can also feel like quitting what they love. Despite having a good career and records at a young age, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone thought of quitting her career many times—senior year in school and at the University of Kentucky at one point. Why, you may ask?

When McLaughlin-Levrone was just 16 years old and made her Olympic debut at Rio in 2016 during her senior year at school, she was afraid of success. Success gives happiness, but why was she afraid? The expectations. When she came back to school, her close ones started looking at her in a different way—like a star, not a friend. At such an early age, it really impacted McLaughlin-Levrone and even impacted her training sessions. In her book she revealed, “The adolescent pettiness became so frustrating that I seriously considered not running my senior year: quitting the Union Catholic track team and preparing for college on my own,” she added.

She was the youngest American to have qualified in track and field for the Olympics since 1972. Another such incident of quitting the career happened when she was at the University of Kentucky, and McLaughlin saw two girls fighting (only after two weeks of college). She wrote about the incident in her memoir, “It made me sick to my stomach, not just because it was the first time I’d watched a disagreement turn violent but also because it shattered my innocent belief that the kind of drama I’d seen in high school wouldn’t happen in college.”

Soon after that traumatizing fight, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone decided to pack her bags and call her father. Reminding herself about that day, she wrote in her book, “I came to the realization that college wasn’t going to solve all of my problems, so when I found myself right back in the same old drama as high school, I almost packed my bags and left.” But later her father convinced her to stay, and she listened to him. Though it will be unfair to credit just her family, in helping her turn things around for the better further down the road.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone started running for a higher purpose

As husband Andre Levrone insisted on the star to get back on the track, she began reading the Bible, which changed her perspective. Earlier she used to think she was just an athlete and loved to run—hence, doing it just for the sport’s sake. But, soon after, she realized something different: “I don’t think that anymore. Now I see that running is God’s plan for my life. He gave me this gift. He gave me a platform.” But what exactly did she think of herself that kept her from giving it all in the first place?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone started feeling that she was not doing enough for people, nothing productive, not even helping society. All of this is shared through her book, “Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith,” which was published in January 2024. Now, with a new perspective, she says, “No matter who you are or what you do, what is in your heart pours out. How you present yourself is a representation of who you serve, whether God or other people.”

American hurdlers won gold at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics in the 400m hurdles and 4×400 relays. Despite winning three golds and one silver in the World Championship, Sydney didn’t want people to see her on track. She wrote, “For me, I intentionally try my best to make sure people don’t see Sydney Michelle McLaughlin-Levrone, but they see Christ working through a young track runner to bring himself glory.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone further writes in her book, “Using my mind, body, and soul to compete at the highest level is biblical. He made me do this, and whether that means more gold medals and world records or failing to qualify for future World Championships and Olympics, I know the act of running and competition honors him.” She truly believes that all the gold medals, honors, and titles are given by God and wants to dedicate them to God. McLaughlin-Levrone won the 2015 World Youth Championship when she was just 15 years old, and she never looked back.

Rather than seeing herself solely as an athlete, she began to view her sport as a platform to honor God, which not only reshaped her view of competition but also her sense of self. She has a say, “He has a plan for each person he created. He gave me, you, and everyone a drive to do something that can be used for his glory and bring both you and him joy in the process.” She further even advises people through her book, “Whatever we do, making sure it honors God is the highest and most fulfilling way to live.” Now, what do you think about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s fears, transformation, and everything she shared in her book? Share your views through the comment section.