“Helped me avoid the drama” - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on her choice that protected her mental state ahead of Olympic debut

American track and field icon Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about her choice that protected her mental state ahead of her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games. Shortly after McLaughlin-Levrone’s 17th birthday, she departed for Rio. Although she had travelled outside the United States once for a competition, the eight-and-a-half-hour flight to Brazil was the longest she had taken at that point.

The athlete’s journey to Rio wasn't easy, and shortly after arriving, she came down with a cold that kept her confined to her Olympic Village room for days. She had also deleted her social media account before the Games due to a distressing experience involving online harassment and school gossip following her breakup.

In her memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about how deleting Instagram and Twitter protected her mental health ahead of the Olympic Games.

“The decision to get off social media helped me avoid the drama and just generally be happier, so I’d stayed off it through the Olympics. Though it might have relieved some of the boredom to be able to scroll mindlessly through Instagram while I was cooped up in my tiny dorm room in the Olympic Village, I’m glad I didn’t have Instagram when I was in Rio. If I had, I would have seen what people had to say about me—the good and the bad—and none of it would have helped my mental state," McLaughlin-Levrone wrote.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was like most other teenagers, active on Instagram, posting updates and keeping up with her friends. Following a breakup and in the lead-up to the Olympic trials, she deleted both her Instagram and Twitter accounts after facing online harassment. It started in the second semester of her junior year when she found out her boyfriend had cheated on her.

After the breakup, the other girl involved sent McLaughlin-Levrone mocking messages on Instagram without any apology. Soon, the trolling went public and spread throughout her school. Unable to stop the drama, she chose to protect her mental health by deleting her accounts.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on her never-ending journey of learning on track

Prefontaine Classic - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has always pushed herself to grow as an athlete. Whether it’s the 400m flat, the 400m hurdles or even the 100m hurdles, her focus remains the same, and she always gives her best every time she steps on the track.

During her appearance on the Ready Set Go podcast with Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green, she spoke about the mindset that drives her:

“Yeah, there's just this desire for whatever I'm doing to be the best. And I think whether it is the 400 hurdles, the 200 this weekend or the 100 and the 100 hurdles, I just want to be the best that I can be when I step on the track,” said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (10:14 onwards).

Most recently, she ran the 400m flat at the 50th Prefontaine Classic and won the title, clocking 49.43s.

Edited by Luke Koshi