"All a gift from god"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone credited her faith for her world record win at Olympic Games

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once credited God for her world record win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has broken the 400m hurdles world record six times since June 2021.

McLaughlin-Levrone came under the spotlight during the 2020 US Olympic trials, where she delivered an impressive performance in the 400m hurdles. She booked her berth in Tokyo after registering a world record of 51.90s in the trials, surpassing her on-field rival, Dalilah Muhammad's record.

Following this stellar performance at the trials, McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about the race in her post-race interview, crediting her faith for her performance. Extending gratitude to her team and her coach, she said that everything she had was a gift of God.

“Honestly, this season, just working with my new coach and my new support system, it’s truly just faith and trusting the process. I couldn’t ask for anything more and truly it is all a gift from God," said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, via NBC Los Angeles.

Following the trials in June, McLaughlin-Levrone ran at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she surpassed her own world record in the 400m hurdles by posting a time of 51.46s. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she registered a world record sixth time with a time of 50.37s.

When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about her sixth world record

The 2024 Paris Olympics saw Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone clock her sixth world record in the 400m hurdles against some of the top-notch athletes, including Anna Cockrell and Femke Bol. Following this race, she opened up about her feelings, breaking the 400m hurdles world record for the sixth consecutive time.

McLaughlin-Levrone shared that it was possible only because of her faith.

"Honestly, I always wanted to be a track athlete. I also aspired to be at the Olympics. So, this being my third Olympics, being able to break that [world] record for the sixth time, it's nothing short of God's grace," said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Currently, McLaughlin-Levrone is competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she won a gold medal in the 400m flat race after clocking 47.78s, defeating the favorites, Marileidy Paulino and Salwa Eid Naser, who claimed second and third place, respectively.

With this win, the American became the first woman to surpass the 48-second barrier in the Championships in 40 years. However, she fell short of breaking the world record by a narrow margin, which stands at 47.60s set by Marita Koch in 1985.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam