Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is widely considered one of the greatest hurdlers of all time. She has constantly proven herself to be way above her competitors, as most of her races look similar to a cat and mouse chase, as the hurdler always has a sizeable lead throughout entire races. This has helped her accomplish a lot in her career, including four Olympic golds, and breaking the world record six times.

Thus, she is a certified legend, but her path to being this person wasn’t always easy. The hurdler had to deal with a lot of mental health issues before she could become the person she is today. In fact, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t even want to go to her first ever Olympic Games despite her qualification alongside her later rival Dalilah Muhammad.

McLaughlin-Levrone recounted this story in her book Far Beyond Gold, where she talked about the Rio Olympics trials. Sydney finished third in the race with a time of 54.18 seconds, setting a new U18 world record. The two athletes who qualified alongside her were Dalilah Muhammad and Ashley Spencer, both of whom were regarded as two of the best hurdlers in the world. Thus, it was a privilege for then sixteen-year-old Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to be standing alongside them taking the flight to Rio.

However, the 4-time Olympic gold medalist wasn’t acting like the other two athletes. While Dalilah and Ashley seemed grateful to be part of the Rio Olympics, Sydney seemed to be having a completely different reaction. When the interviewer asked her about what she felt at that moment, the hurdler replied, “I’m just happy it’s over with. Thank you, though.” This didn’t leave the interviewer satisfied, as she had gotten great reactions from both Dalilah and Ashley. Thus, she further asked about the pressure the athlete felt.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone replied once more in unsatisfying fashion for the reporter, “The only pressure is the pressure I put on myself. I’m just glad I’m done. I can’t believe this.” Therefore, the hurdler had not shown a disposition toward questions at all. The reason for this was she had chosen not to come to the Rio Olympics at all. She had made up her mind on this and decided to tell her mother after the race. Before she could protest, Sydney said, “I’m not going. You can’t make me go. I already talked to Dad about it,” she said to her mom whilst being in the company of twenty other people.

This was shocking, since the athlete had the opportunity to become the youngest track star to go to the Olympics since 1980. Thus, it was surprising to people that she would even think about pulling out of the race. But Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was a different person back then who was quite nervous about racing on the biggest stage. This would change with a major shift in her life.

How faith changed Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

While apprehension filled her Rio Olympic trials, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was, five years later, in the Tokyo trials, a completely different person. That’s because she had started her journey of faith in God, one that brought about change within her as a person. “Through those trials, God taught me so much. Though they were all difficult, exhausting, and emotional experiences, I’m grateful for them. They helped me understand how to rely on Christ, not myself, in any situation. They were refining me into the woman God wanted me to be,” she wrote in her book.

Since then, faith has played an important part in every single turn her career has taken. This includes her victories in both the Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Olympics, alongside all the world records she broke. She had spoken about how it helped her in 2023 when she had to sit out the season with an injury. To comeback from there to win an Olympic gold medal was extraordinary.