Even though track and field is going through an off-season, it hasn’t stopped one of the top athletes from getting their hands on a specific award. So who is it? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has added the World Athletics Female Track Athlete of the Year to her list of many accolades she received in a successful 2024 campaign, letting the world remember what kind of dominance she can establish in the sport with her talents.

Throughout the whole season, McLaughlin-Levrone was a formidable force, and while she did have aspirations of running in 400m, as well as the 400mH in the French capital, she only chose to do the hurdles and did shine in it with the gleaming gold medal. However, what’s a year without any challenges? Recently, the American hurdler shared her struggles with her eyesight, one of the biggest issues she encountered at each hurdles event. But she also clarified the issue with a positive note.

Hurdling through one more challenge

Multiple challenges in life make a tough athlete like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She is surely one of the best out there, and her track and field career, filled up with multiple Olympic golds and world championship titles, backs up the statement. The American’s 2024 campaign was also no different than her previous year’s performances, as she secured many kinds of accolades, including the recent World Athletics Female Track Athlete of the Year.

So, when she was on the red carpet of the event, as seen on @sydmclaughlinle’s X post, McLaughlin-Levrone talked about one of her major challenges in the sport, stating, “I can see closer ones; far away is a bit blurry. So sometimes when I’m hurdling, and I’ve to blink like three or four times to see clearly before taking the jump.” The host of the interview was worried about the athlete’s eyesight, and she emphasized that she does struggle while looking at the hurdles from far away, but it’s the contrast when they come closer to her.

For a hurdler, it’s not only about jumping over the hurdles. The sport is quite difficult, as the athlete has to manage their pace and jumps. However, a single mistake or miscalculation can cause a lot of time loss or even gruesome injury if the hurdler falls off a hurdle, hurting themselves. Furthermore, McLaughlin-Levrone clarified her vision issues, stating, “So it’s honestly not terrible; I don’t want people to think like I’m blind; it’s not that bad.”

The 25-year-old wanted her fans not to worry about this issue, as despite all of these challenges, she is able to thrive on top in the sport. This year was just magical for McLaughlin-Levrone since the get-go. Coming off the 2023 season, there were a lot of things for her to prove, as she had to withdraw from the World Championships in Budapest owing to a knee injury. However, that didn’t affect her determination, as the American hurdler just dominated the 2024 campaign in every single event she participated in.

Eventually, all her training resulted in her becoming a four-time Olympic gold medalist in Paris, as she participated in the women’s 400mH and also the women’s 4x400m relays. McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t run a major 400m event in the 2024 season, so her participation in the relays raised many questions, but all doubts were cleared the moment she ran one of the fastest legs in the finals. Surely, she isn’t a newcomer to special challenges in life; one of such she faced during the Olympic Games before the one in the French capital.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Olympic dream nearly getting drenched

Winning an Olympic gold medal is one of the highest honors an athlete can receive in their career. So, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had a similar goal of grabbing her career-first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo back in 2021. She was on a quest to redeem herself from her performance back in the Rio Olympics, where she was eliminated in the semifinals of the 400mH. In her book, Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear of Faith, the American athlete stressed her redemption era that was almost plagued by nature’s fury.

The weather in Tokyo during the 400mH wasn’t in favor of the participants. It was pouring down at the Japan National Stadium, and the hurdlers were facing many problems in their training sessions, including McLaughlin-Levrone. “There is a higher chance you can easily slip, crash into the barriers, land in a puddle, or lose your balance,” she expressed the challenges that hurdlers go through in such conditions. However, despite all the issues, she hurdled through the challenges and claimed her career-first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 400mH. It was a dream come true for the athlete, and she also credited her coach, Bob Keerse, for the support he showed during such challenging moments.