“Surrounded by Simone Biles”: Days After Releasing Own Book, Sydney McLaughlin Levrone Recalls Olympic Moment With the Gymnastics Queen

Three years ago, in the grueling Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles succumbed, citing mental health, while Sydney McLaughlin referred to pressure as an “illusion,” much like two sides of a coin. Both placed themselves at the forefront of anticipation to create history, whether it was by shattering their records or entering a new competition. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old gymnast made a stunning return last year, easily making her way into the 2024 Summer Olympics team.

The 24-year-old sprinter and hurdler published her book on January 30th, which came with a run of interviews conducted with Olympic talks that prompted her to discuss a cherished memory of her Olympic experience with Simone Biles.

Sydney McLaughlin Levrone shares a throwback memory

Sydney went down memory lane and relived her incredible “Welcome to the Olympics” moment in a recent interview with GQ Sports shared on X by @trackspice. She told a vivid story: “Being in the Olympic Village, going up the elevator, surrounded by Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandes, and all of the gymnasts.”

The track athlete released her book, “Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith,” a little over a week ago and is presently marketing it. She aims to resonate with people from all walks of life with her book, which captures her life path from the highs of setting world records to the lows of fighting anxiety during the 2016 Olympics, imparting lessons from her love life and sharing incidents of mistreatment in high school.

On the opposite end of the Olympic spectrum, Biles fervently supported putting mental health first, following the famous Twisties incident. “I say put mental health first. Because if you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport, and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to,” she said.

As a result, Olympians from all around the world joined in to discuss the important subject of mental health in athletics openly. The reunion on the big stage is evident now that both players have secured their tickets to Paris.

Entering Paris with global records

As the countdown to the 2024 Paris Games gets underway, the two athletes are once again. Biles has been rewriting the boundaries of possibility since her comeback last year. Headlining the wins as the oldest gymnast at 27, she refuses to stop making waves with now 37 medals in the Worlds and Olympics, including seven from the Games.

Read more: Who Is the Only Track and Field Star Eligible to Match a Usain Bolt Feat at the Paris Olympics?

The world record for the 400-meter hurdles has been established four times by Sydney, the most recent time being 50.68 seconds. Her trip through Paris will be more suspenseful if she decides to try to break the 50-second record or compete for gold in the hurdles and track events. In any case, there’s no denying that these athletes are ready to take the globe by storm.

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