"I started to cry" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about breaking down due to lack of progress before the Tokyo Olympics

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Nov 05, 2024 07:12 GMT

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone needs no introduction. With four Olympic gold medals to her name, Leverone has come to be known as one of the most prominent track stars in the world. However, there was a time when the 25-year-old sprinter was frustrated with her lack of progress, which drove her to tears.

In her autobiography titled 'Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith,' McLaughlin-Levrone recounted the time when she broke down before the Tokyo Olympics and almost thought of giving up.

"The first is my coach, Bobby Kersee. I met him in May 2020, when stay-at-home orders loosened and the track at UCLA reopened. One day, I got so fed up with my lack of progress, I started to cry. I bent over on the side of the track, trying to hide my tears," she mentioned.

When Kersee asked why the Olympian reacted like that, she replied that for the first time in her career, she felt that she was going backward. Kersee took out a paper and handed it over to the American hurdler.

"Bobby pulled out a paper from his backpack and handed it to me. On it was a color wheel labeled with different emotions. Angry, happy, sad, mad were in the middle. The farther from the center, the more specific the words got," added the Olympic champion.

The following year, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone proved her mettle when she broke the world record in the women's 400m hurdles for the first time at the US Olympic trials before the Tokyo Olympics. Mclaughlin-Levrone clocked a new record timing of 51.9, which was further lowered to 51.46 seconds at the Tokyo Olympics, where the then 22-year-old won her first Olympic gold medal.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on meeting coach Bob Kersee for the first time

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on meeting coach Bob Kersee [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source : Getty]

Since setting the world record for the women's 400m hurdles, the 25-year-old has gone on to break the world record five more times.

The American sprinter credits her achievements to the training provided by track and field coach Bob Kersee, who is also the spouse of former Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

In her interview with Citius Mag conducted in March 2023, McLaughlin-Levrone recounted the time when she first met Bob Kersee. In her words,

"I approached him. I saw him on the track one day and we sat down and had a meeting and I just kind of expressed my hopes and dreams and goals as an athlete and he said that he could make those happen."

The Olympic champion credited Bob Kersee for transforming her as an athlete.

"I think it always takes time to build that rapport with the coach and that trust but once I started seeing the results as time progressed I just knew he knew what he was doing and I haven't doubted him since that first year and now we're just along for the ride," she added.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has won two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. She broke the world record for the sixth time when she won a second consecutive Olympic gold in the women's 400m hurdles event. The American hurdler played a major part in securing the Olympic gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay finals when she ran the third leg for Team USA in the event at the Paris Olympics.