2018 was the year the script flipped, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s life headed in a completely different direction. What was new? Well, she’d signed a $1.5 million deal with New Balance. And soon, a change of landscape was on the cards for her. She needed a new coach and that drew her straight to the west, to Joanna Hayes who offered to drop everything and train SML full-time!

But how was McLaughlin-Levrone going to navigate this transition on her own? After all, she was just a nineteen-year-old who couldn’t drive yet and had a substantial paycheck in her account. Would she let her dream slip away for these reasons? Not a chance. She knew she wanted a fresh start and a new perspective on life and track. That’s when McLaughlin-Levrone’s mother stepped up and became her unwavering support.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s eased her transition to LA

In her book, Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith, McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on shifting to Los Angeles in 2018. She mentions how her mother, Mary McLaughlin, helped her with the shift and made sure she settled into her professional career. Even if this came at the cost of leaving her job at Rutgers University and moving with her to LA.

Although it was a tough call for her parents to live across the country from each other, Mary prioritized Sydney’s future and made a sacrifice. And what next? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone writes, “We were like two kids on vacation. We went to the beach. Checked off some tourist attractions. Bought my mom a new car.” The two settled into a two-bedroom apartment and became ‘roommates.’

Clearly, the mother-daughter duo were riding on the high of life. They embraced the challenge and looked at it with a renewed sense of purpose. And this was especially important for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She was over the moon when everything felt new and exciting. “The Southern California sun was new to me, and it never went away. The daily routine was new: no schoolwork, no team meetings. Nothing but training and spending that New Balance paycheck,” she wrote. 

But not a single day when she took it lightly on the track. She knew defeating an opponent like Dalilah Muhammad would be a tough nut to crack. For she wasn’t only a top-class hurdler but the greatest of all time. So when the next World Championships rolled out, did Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone meet that challenge?

Did Sydney’s big call fail to reap fruit?

Unfortunately, despite this momentous decision, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone initially failed to attain the expected result. Post these changes, the two- Dalilah and Sydney clashed for the first at the 2019 Toyota USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships. While Sydney crossed the finish line in a blazing 52.88 seconds, it was hardly enough to crush the 400mH veteran, Dalilah. At 52.20s, she was a clear winner!

However, the comeback fire did not die out just so soon. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stepped out at the 2019 IAAF World Championships as a resilient force once again. And well, there was significant improvement. The Kentucky alumni had run a personal best of 52.23 seconds. But once again, a few hundredths of seconds deprived her of the title, as Dalilah Muhammad clocked a faster 52.16s.

While these on-the-trot losses had left Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone visibly crestfallen, she put her guards up and recovered in silence. Until she came back roaring as an indomitable force who continues to take the track world by storm! What do you have to say about Sydney’s decision? Share your thoughts with us below!