It was the Summer Olympics in Rio in 2016. Eventually, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will show up there to vie on the track. It was an impressive achievement for such a young athlete. But that was not a smooth upwards in her life. Not only in that Olympics, but in every step of her life, Sydney was in toe with obstacles. Whether her love for someone or facing multiple injuries on the track and field, she seemed to be meant to prove her fighting spirit and rose to have one-up at every hurdle. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone started running at a very young age. By the time she was sixteen, she participated in the US Olympic Trials. There, she stunned everyone by her timing of 50.65 seconds in the 400m hurdles. And she was ready to fly off to Rio–her second abroad trip after the Youth Championship in Colombo. That summer, the Olympics in Rio are already in a mess. Athletes were skipping, and a virus was at large. And Sydney has her own mess to encounter.

Tough Olympic Debut for Sydney McLaughlin

In her book Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, she wrote about going to Rio–the longest journey. On that eight-and-a-half-hour flight, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone felt so miserable that she compared it to a movie scene that became real to her. “I had a middle seat on the flight. All the way in the back of the plane. Big mistake.” The US track and field division booked her ticket, so she had no choice. “The flight was miserable. I was crammed between strangers who spent the entire flight sneezing and coughing. It was like one of those movie scenes where you think, That doesn’t happen in real life. I can confirm; it really does happen.” And she reached Rio. 

The misery for Sydney is not over yet. Before the Olympics started in August, Brazil registered around 91 thousand likely Zika virus cases. Many athletes like the cyclist Tejay van Garderen, golfer Jason Day and many notable sports maestro skipped the event. Sydney’s family members, except her mom and dad, skipped too to accompany her. “Thankfully, I didn’t have Zika. But I was diagnosed with a nasty cold when the medical team met me in the Olympic Village to check me over. Not an ideal way to kick off my Olympic experience.” she recalled in the book. And she added, “The first few days were rougher than rough. With my immune system trying to fight the infection, I was exhausted all the time.” Because of her weakness, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s nutrition level deteriorated. She didn’t leave her room in the Olympic Village. There, doctors treated her. 

The Glint Sydney Showed at the Rio Olympics Streches Further

Despite that miserable start, 17-year-old Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone fought tooth and nail in the 400m hurdles. She was the youngest US Olympian since 1980. With her teenage angst and strenuous practice, Sydney hurled herself and reached the semi-final. With such difficulty, the milestones she achieved so far–gave a clear picture of her potential. At the Rio Olympics, the U.S. got two medals in the women’s 400m Hurdles–Dalilah Muhammad won the gold, and Ashley Spencer was honoured with the silver medal. For Sydney McLaughlin–she would prove her prowess in the upcoming Olympic events. And etched her name in many competitions.

Seasoned with many hurdles in many world championships, 400m hurdles become Sydne’s speciality, where ten barriers were spread across one track. Despite the hurdles, she brought the top podium grace in this year’s Paris Olympics. She raced in the women’s relay team, where she and the women’s squad were hauled 4x400m to bag the championship. Vying on that 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reached the finishing line in just 50.37 seconds in the Paris Olympics. She made a world record. And again, she broke her world record by cutting the time by 1.62 seconds in the USATF NYC GP. In every triumph, Sydney challenged herself by not stopping with any of her gratifications, let alone the hurdles she faced on the track and field or in her life. Furthermore, just 25 years old, Sydney McLaughlin reached the pinnacle of the Olympics with four gold medals.