"Didn’t think I deserved any of credit"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on seeing her speed as a gift not her own achievement

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about how she earlier saw her speed as a gift given through family’s genetics and from God. She shared how she was uncertain about taking personal credit for her achievements.

The realization especially hit her after qualifying for her first Olympic Games in Rio, following her third-place finish in the women’s 400m hurdles at the 2016 US Olympic Track and Field Trials..

In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith released in January 2024, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared how when anybody asked her how she qualified for the Olympics and became an Olympian, she would often not have a confident answer, stating:

“In the weeks between the trials and Rio, when someone would ask me how I became an Olympic athlete, I’d shrug, not really knowing what to say. I honestly didn’t think I deserved any of the credit for my speed.”

The American hurdler also reflected in her book on crediting her speed to her parents, both former athletes, and ultimately to God, viewing it as a gift she didn’t earn but was given.

However, with time, her relationship with faith and the Lord changed her perspective and her maturity played a role as she now not only recognizes that her talent is a gift from God but also acknowledges the hard work and discipline she has put in, resulting in her success.

McLaughlin-Levrone is now a four-time Olympic champion following her success at the Paris Olympics, where she claimed back-to-back golds in the same events, the 400m hurdles and women's 4x400m relay, having also won the top spot in both at the Tokyo Games.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone makes feelings known after running first pro 100m race of career at Philadelphia Grand Slam Track

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Grand Slam Track - Philadelphia - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared her thoughts after running the first 100m race of her professional track and field career in 2025. At the Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, she competed in the 100m race as part of the short hurdles group and finished just behind Ackera Nugent (11.11s) with a time of 11.21 seconds.

On being asked in a post-race interview about her feelings on the 100m race, the 25-year-old said (0:40 onwards):

“Not the best execution. I definitely popped right up, no dry phase whatsoever. I'm going to have to watch that one back, but I think for that being the first hundred, for there to be so much to work on, I'm proud of that. So, to come out, with the results that I did, yeah, I'm happy.”

McLaughlin-Levrone was further asked if she would compete in the 100m dash again in her track career. She reacted to this saying that although she wasn’t sure if it would happen this season, she was hopeful it would take place again at some point in her career.

Edited by Abhiruchi Rout