‘I Was Like, Never Again!’ - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Reveals the One Race that Made Her ‘Freak Out’

Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

‘I Was Like, Never Again!’ - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Reveals the One Race that Made Her ‘Freak Out’

Mark Kinyanjui 23:45 - 09.05.2025

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has opened up on the one race that shaped her mindset into becoming the dominating force she is nowadays.

Sydney McLaughlin-Leverone may be arguably the greatest 400m hurdler of all time, but there was once a time she was far away from being the indomitable force she now is today.

The reigning Olympic champion and world record holder stunned the world again at the 2024 Paris Games, smashing her own record for the sixth time with a jaw-dropping 50.37 seconds to clinch gold. 

She then helped Team USA to victory in the women’s 4x400m relay, reinforcing her legacy as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history.

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The Race That Changed Everything

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Reveals the One Race that Made Her ‘Freak Out’
Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was not always the dominating athlete she now is as a youngster

Despite her current dominance, McLaughlin-Levrone hasn’t forgotten where it all started—and the one race that almost broke her spirit.

“There’s two... okay, I can’t even count the first one because I was seven, so whatever,” she said during a Q&A on Grand Slam Track’s YouTube channel, while sitting in an ice bath post-training.

“But in high school—Meet of Champions indoors—it was a 400 meters. I was racing this senior girl who was really, really fast. I was freaking out all week because I was a freshman.

“ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so scared of her.’ I threw up right before the race. I didn’t even get second—I was like, ‘At least I’ll get second.’ I got like fourth or fifth. I was bawling my eyes out. I was like, ‘Never again.’”

Lessons in Mental Toughness

Though that moment brought tears, it laid the foundation for Sydney’s mental resilience.

“At the end of the day, it's literally just one race, you know what I mean?” she said. “It’s not like it can hurt you physically—you don’t lose anything. But sometimes you build it up so much in your head that it feels like it’s the end of the world. And I was like, ‘Bro, it’s track and field—you’ll be okay.’”

Words of Wisdom from Dad

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Reveals the One Race that Made Her ‘Freak Out’
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with her dad Willie McLaughlin

The four-time Olympic gold medalist also credits her father, Willie McLaughlin—a former track and field athlete—for giving her perspective amid the pressure of professional sports.

“He reminds me just to enjoy it—like, this is what I get to do every day as a job,” she said. “And for someone like him, who wanted to aspire to do this, he's like, ‘Enjoy it while you can.’”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s story reminds us that even the most iconic athletes face fear, pressure, and disappointment. But those moments don’t define them—they shape them.

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