How do you follow a year of two world records and two global gold medals? Do it again – but faster! We hear from an athletics superstar who is only just getting started
As Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone flew across the line to become world champion, she glanced to her left – to the same spot in which all eyes in Hayward Field were now trained. The outcome of the women’s 400m hurdles final had not been in doubt from the moment the first barrier had been reached, but one question remained. What did the clock say?
The answer it delivered was truly astounding.
The American had obliterated not only the opposition but also her own world record, chopping a mind-boggling 0.73 seconds from her 51.41 run at the US trials on the same track to register 50.68. It would have placed her seventh in the women’s flat 400m final.
To have followed up 2021, a year in which she had become a two-time Olympic gold medallist and also broken the world record twice, in such style spoke volumes. However, she could barely speak in the immediate aftermath of leaving Femke Bol and Dalilah Muhammad trailing in her wake. There were no wild celebrations or outpourings of emotion, McLaughlin-Levrone simply sat down.
“I was trying to process the lactic acid,” she grinned once the dust had settled. “And I was taking a moment to enjoy what had just taken place. Sometimes the race goes by and you forget what happens but I really just wanted to sit there and soak it all in before getting into the craziness of what follows.”
What follows in the story of the 2022 AW international female athlete of the year – a teenage prodigy who is fulfilling her promise in remarkable style – will make for fascinating viewing.
Sydney-McLaughlin-Levrone (Getty)
At the post-race press conference of that world final, she spoke of potentially moving to the 400m and attacking the infamous 1985 world record of 47.60 held by East German Marita Koch. Doubling up with the 400m and 400m hurdles was also coming under consideration by her coach Bob Kersee. Has the conversation moved on?
“There’s more I can accomplish with the 400m hurdles and the 400m flat is something we’ve been interested in, but it’s something where the schedule would need to line up and I would have the time to rest in between races,” she tells AW. “Only time will tell!”
However, of Koch’s mark, she adds: “It’s a world record that has stood for 37 years and no other athlete since then has even been close to it, so I’d really like to see what we can do to work on changing that.”
Whichever decision is taken, the athletics-following public expects fireworks. After all, few thought it would be possible to drastically improve the 51.46 run McLaughlin-Levrone produced in Tokyo but it has been completely dismantled. Muhammad’s mark of 52.16 at the 2019 World Championships now seems like a different age, with the pace of the event surging forward at an astonishing rate.
“I definitely thought that 50 [seconds] was possible. After that race, I think 49 is possible… for Sydney,” said Muhammad.
“Once in a lifetime,” is the phrase McLaughlin-Levrone uses when asked to describe that historic performance. “The race was so well executed that it truly doesn’t even feel real at times!”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Getty)
At the time, however, she was adamant that the mark could be lowered again and the hard work is well underway in Florida to find the margins which will make all of the difference once again.
“The beginning of the season is always a humbling time period after my vacation, I’m not in peak shape, per se, but I do trust that Bobby will have me ready for when it matters most,” says the 23-year-old. “He’s a very traditional coach, given that he’s done this for so long, so not much changes. We simply stick to the basics.”
It’s a method which has worked incredibly well for the athlete whose parents, brother and sister also know how to bend the track to their will and was persuaded to take part in her first race, at the of six, by the promise of a chocolate bar if she won. She did.
Expectation has rarely left her side since, however, and the clamour and attention which tends to follow her is not always easy to deal with.
“Going to the Olympics at 16 made me grow up really fast,” she admits.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (World Athletics)
“Knowing that I have a strong support system of people who love me and are there for me has made dealing with those expectations much easier. Some of those expectations come from myself, and in the past I would tend to isolate myself. Over the last few years, I’ve gotten a lot better at vocalising how I’m feeling to those around me which has really helped me get to where I am currently, along with growing my faith.”
That faith is a central pillar to McLaughlin-Levrone’s life and one upon which she leans every day. She has been increasingly open about the mental health struggles she has dealt with in recent years but has set about better equipping herself to handle them.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten a better understanding of the importance of mental health and being comfortable talking about it,” she says. “I now understand there are people out there who can and will help me with loving arms. I’ve also been able to centre myself with more confidence, particularly through prioritising prayer throughout the day. I’ve found that it’s really helped me.”
The attention is not all bad, either. Along with the likes of Bol and Muhammad, McLaughlin-Levrone has moved the women’s 400m hurdles from sideshow to main event and stands front and centre as the one to watch.
“If I was able to have a conversation with my younger self and tell her where I am today, I don’t think she would believe it,” she says. “What turned into something I started at six years old as a thing I loved to do as a hobby turned into a professional career where I have learned so many life lessons, on and off the track.”
» This article first appeared in the December issue of AW magazine
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