“Was trapped in the perfectionism mindset” - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on early struggles and mindset shift

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up about struggling with a mix of overwhelming emotions, fear of failure and perfectionism during the early stages of her career. Despite qualifying for the semi-finals in her debut Olympics in Rio, she shared how her competitive spirit and drive were halted by these thoughts, which affected her performance.

In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, released in January 2024, the American reflected on the thoughts that impacted her outing at the Rio Olympics, including perfectionism, as she felt trapped in the belief that if she couldn’t perform perfectly, there was no point in trying.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone revealed this early mindset she held back in 2016, writing:

“Maybe perfectionism was telling me, If I can’t be perfect, why even try? Of course, that’s a dangerous mindset this side of heaven for all of us. We’ll never be perfect here on earth. Though God made us to want to progress, to improve, to grow, he never promised us we’ll be perfect. That was certainly true of my running. It’s also true for you no matter your job or calling in life. I was trapped in the perfectionism mindset back in 2016.”

She further acknowledged that her perfectionist mindset had caused her to focus on the wrong things and shared how she has since grown to realize that her interpretation was misguided, adding:

“It made me wonder what the point was if I couldn’t be flawless on the track. That was certainly the wrong question, and it led to an unfortunate result.”

However, her perspective began to shift when she leaned more deeply into her faith around the time of COVID-19, which helped her develop true self-confidence and a sense of purpose. The 400m hurdles world record holder and four-time Olympic gold medalist has since become known for her strong faith, often expressing gratitude to God both on social media and in interviews.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opts out of Ed Murphey Classic 2025

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Prefontaine Classic 2025. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone withdrew from her latest race at the 2025 Ed Murphey Classic, where she was set to run the 400m flat event. She cited sickness as the reason for opting out. Just hours before the meet, she announced her withdrawal via an Instagram story, writing:

“Out of respect for fans and those who were tuning in, just wanted to update you all! Since traveling back from Prefontaine I have been dealing with sickness. My hope was it would improve enough to run today, unfortunately it did not!”

She further shared in the story that she was looking forward to the USATF Outdoor Championships, scheduled from July 31 to August 3, where she will enter as one of the favorites in the women’s 400m hurdles to secure a spot on the nation’s squad for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

McLaughlin-Levrone, who became the world champion in her signature event in 2022, missed out on the 2023 Worlds held in Budapest due to a knee injury.

Edited by Abhiruchi Rout