Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's exceptional talents are undoubtedly inherited from her family's athletic background. Her father, Willie, made the 400m semi-finals at the 1984 U.S. Olympic trials. Her mother was a middle-distance brother with older brother Tyler winning 400m hurdles silver at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships. However, Sydney has surpassed them all.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's Journey to Tokyo Gold
From the start, it was clear that McLaughlin was on a journey to make history. At 16 and while still at high school, she finished third in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in a new world junior 400m hurdles record of 54.15. That saw her become the youngest American track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games since the boycotted Moscow 1980 Games. McLaughlin made the semi-finals at Rio 2016, but her potential was obvious.
After one year at the University of Kentucky, McLaughlin turned professional in June 2018. Just over a year later, she took silver behind Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad at the Doha World Championships.
As the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games approached, the rematch between the two Americans was greatly anticipated. McLaughlin beat Muhammad at the Olympic Trials, clocking 51.90 to break her rival's world record. And it was McLaughlin who came out on top again in Japan, running 51.46 to make more history. The pair then joined forces to help the United States win gold in the women's 4x400m relay.
McLaughlin had an exceptional 2022, lowering her world record again at the U.S. national championships before doing so again at the World Championships. She shaved almost three-quarters of a second of her best with a blistering 50.68 on home soil in Eugene, Oregon before anchoring the women's 4x400m relay team to another gold. She was named World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year for her outstanding achievements, and married NFL star Andre Levrone Jr.
Having largely switched to the flat 400m in 2023, McLaughlin-Levrone was forced to withdraw from the World Athletics Championships in Budapest due to a minor knee injury. Expressing her disappointment, she shared her intention to prioritise her recovery to ensure she is in top form for Paris 2024.