"It was the moment you dream about as a kid"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reacts to her gold medal-winning moment at Paris Olympics 2024

By Abhiruchi Rout

Modified Aug 12, 2024 18:15 GMT

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has reacted to her world record-breaking performance in the women's 400m hurdles final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The American had secured a dominant victory, clocking an astonishing time of 50.37 seconds.

With this victory, the American athlete successfully defended her Olympic title in the women's 400m hurdles. This was the sixth time she had broken the world record in the event.

Following her brilliant display at State de France, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed that winning the gold medal and breaking the world record felt like a lifelong dream come true. Here's what the 25-year-old said (via On Her Turf):

“Jeez. That was the moment, the moment you dream about as a kid and when it comes real, you're just like, oh my gosh, this is real life and just a blessing. Super excited."

She further emphasized her immense joy for Anna Cockrell after glancing up from the finish line. Cockrell notably secured the silver medal in the event, setting a new personal best time of 51.87s.

“Looked up, saw that Anna got silver and I was just so happy for her too. So it was a very amazing moment for sure,” McLaughlin-Levrone added.

The 25-year-old also expressed gratitude for breaking the world record, stating,

“Looking up and seeing the time, super grateful, honestly go for the win and then the time will follow. Always so super grateful.”

She concluded by stating that she hoped that her 400m hurdles time would eventually be closer to her 400m dash time, but admitted she couldn't complain about her performance.

“I was hoping it would be a little bit closer to flat, but you can't complain with that at all,” she said.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone contributes to American record in 4x400m relay at Paris Olympics

Gabrielle Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Alexis Holmes, and Shamier Little celebrate winning the Gold medal in the Women's 4 x 400m Relay Final at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo via Getty Images)

After winning her second consecutive gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone played an instrumental role in Team USA’s gold-medal triumph in the women’s 4x400m relay event. She clocked a phenomenal 47.71 split while running the second leg.

This split by McLaughlin-Levrone contributed to the USA team, including Shamier Little, Gabby Thomas, and Alexis Holmes, setting a new American record with a combined time of 3:15.27, narrowly missing the world record. The current world and Olympic record, held by the Soviet Union, is 3:15.17, set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.