"An intimate look into a side of my life that you haven't seen before" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone releases her book 'Far Beyond Gold'
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has recently announced the release of her book ‘Far Beyond Golds’. For the first time, the 24-year-old has opened up about her inner struggles and thoughts that surrounded her during the highs and lows of her life. The book is currently available for pre-order.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has maintained an impressive career in 400m and 4x400m relay races. The American athlete boasts Olympic gold medals in both events from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Moreover, she achieved silver and gold medals in the 400m hurdles race at the 2019 and 2022 world championships.
For the first time, the athlete decided to share her anxious thoughts and how she tackled them with godly faith in her book. She has been working on it for the last two years and is now finally ready to share ‘an intimate side’ of herself with the world.
She shared the news of her book’s release on her Instagram, giving a brief introduction about it in the caption:
"You know that feeling of being held back by your fears? Or the desire to be perfect and constantly failing? I do. I actually know those feelings all too well," the athlete wrote.
"I figured it was time to start writing all of this down, so I’ve poured my heart out into a book about my faith journey and my experience fighting anxiety and perfectionism."
McLaughlin-Levrone added at the end:
"This is an intimate look into a side of my life that you haven’t seen before. Yes, I face hurdles off the track too!"
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone switched to a new category this year
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been a dominating force in the 400m hurdles event. Currently, she is the world record holder in the event after clocking 50.68 seconds at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
However, this year, she decided to transition to the 400m race from the 400m hurdles. So, at the 2023 US National Championship, McLaughlin-Levrone stunned the world by competing in the 400m race for the first time. She not only made her debut at the event, but also won the race, clocking 48.74 seconds, the second-fastest time in Olympic history.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone realized she had achieved enough in the 400m hurdles race and wanted to challenge herself by testing her athletic prowess in other categories.
Although McLaughlin-Levrone won the national championship, she could not compete in the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Days before competing in the heats in August, the athlete opted out of the championship, due to her knee injury. As the 2024 Paris Olympics is her main focus, she decided to fully recover and not pressurize her body.