"I felt terrified the first few days" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about qualifying for her debut Olympics as a 16-year-old

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Dec 23, 2024 11:45 GMT

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once opened up on her initial emotions after qualifying for her debut Olympic appearance, describing how she felt overwhelmed and terrified during the initial days. McLaughlin-Levrone made her Olympic debut appearance as a 16-year-old at the 2016 Rio Games.

At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, McLaughlin-Levrone settled in third place after clocking a time of 54.15 seconds. She followed Dalilah Muhammad and Ashley Spencer, who posted 52.88 and 54.02 seconds, respectively. McLaughlin-Levrone's recorded time not only enabled her to achieve a spot for the 2016 Rio Games but also marked world youth best and world junior record in the 400m hurdles event.

McLaughlin-Levrone then became the youngest athlete to join the American Olympic track and field team since Carol Lewis and Denean Howard, for the 1980 Olympic Games.

Looking back at her 2016 Trials, McLaughlin-Levrone shared how others were excited about her Olympic journey, but she felt terrified and overwhelmed. In her book 'Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith,' she revealed that she struggled with self-doubt and could only imagine herself failing at the Games, on his debut.

"People said it was 'so cool' what I'd done. They gushed about the amazing experience I was about to have, how awesome it was that I was heading to Rio. It seemed the whole world was more excited than I was for the Olympics.

McLaughlin-Levrone added:

"I felt terrified the first few days after the race in Eugene. If I tried to imagine what the Olympics were going to be like, I could only picture myself failing."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone defended her title at the 2024 Paris Olympics even after failing to qualify in the final round at the 2016 Rio Games

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

At her debut appearance in Rio, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone fell short of earning a spot in the final round as she finished in fifth place.

However, the American hurdler rose from the setback, marking her prospect as a formidable contender at the 2020 Games. In Tokyo, she defeated Dalilah Muhammad and Femke Bol to clinch her first Olympic medal.

McLaughlin-Levrone recorded a stunning world record of 51.46 seconds while Muhammad and Bol clocked 51.58 and 52.03 seconds, respectively. Three years later at the 2024 Paris Games, she defended the title by clocking the world record in the event for the sixth time with 50.37 seconds, defeating Anna Cockrell and Bol.