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"My town was changing signs every single day" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was honored with a track named after her following Tokyo success
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone attained mega stardom at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning the 400m hurdles gold medal in a world record time of 51.87s. She won another gold in the women's 4x400m relay and was later honored in her hometown, with a track in Dunellen being named after her.
McLaughlin-Levrone first rose to prominence after qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics as a 16-year-old. She finished third at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, running a world junior record of 54.15s. She placed fifth in her semifinal heat in Rio, failing to qualify for the finals, which were later won by USA's Dalilah Muhammed.
The 25-year-old joined the University of Kentucky before turning pro in 2018. McLaughlin-Levrone won the silver medal over 400m hurdles at next year's World Championship before taking the baton from Dalilah Muhammed in 2021. She broke the world record in the distance for the first time at the Olympic Trials.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone did so again at the Tokyo Olympics, running 51.46s to claim her maiden Olympic gold medal. She also won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay.
Following the Games, McLaughlin-Levrone's home track in Dunellen was named after her. Speaking at the ceremony in August 2021, she said:
“My sister was livestreaming my races on Instagram, screaming with my aunt at the TV like I could hear her. My town was changing signs every single day. It takes a support system. It takes a finance who doesn’t sleep because of the time change and I’m constantly calling him at work because I’m stressed and nervous.”
The then-22-year-old added:
“I stand on that track and I stand on that podium as one person, but there are thousands and thousands behind me who are on my team. And I truly appreciate every single one of you for being here and supporting and screaming and just being a part of this community because at the end of the day, people may not know where Dunellen is, and I may have to tell them some landmarks so that they know, but we know, and I love all of you, and I truly appreciate it and it’s an honor to be here."
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone delivered a repeat of her performance at the 2024 Olympics. She won the gold medal in both the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, even breaking the world record in the former.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ends 2024 season with 200 and 400m races
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has dominated the 400m hurdles for more than three years now, going undefeated since running the world record for the first time in 2021. After breaking the record again in Paris and winning the gold medal, the 25-year-old decided to explore other events; she ran in the 200m and the 400m flat Invitational races at the Brussels Diamond League.
McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 49.11s to win the 400m event easily on September 13, and clocked 22.40s over the 200m on the following day. She has a personal best of 22.07 over the 200m and 48.74 over the 400m, and is expected to better both marks next year if she decides to go all in.
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