Childhood and school:
Born in August 1999, Sydney McLaughlin was raised in New Jersey. As the daughter of two avid runners, Sydney started running at a young age alongside her sister and two brothers. Sydney was a breakout runner, breaking many records at the start of her high school career. Specializing in the 400 meter hurdles, Sydney broke records at both the national and world levels while she was still only in high school. At the age of 17, Sydney placed 3rd in the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Olympic Trials with a time of 54.15 seconds. This time officially made her the youngest athlete to make the American Track and Field team since 1980. In 2017, Sydney attended the University of Kentucky where she ran on the track team for a year, before going pro.
World Record battle:
When McLaughlin broke onto the World Stage she found herself in a rivalry with another American, Dalilah Muhammad. Muhammad raced in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won gold. Between the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Muhammad and Mclaughlin were at the top of the 400m hurdle field, pushing each other to break world records. Since 2019, each time Muhammad and Mclaughlin compete against one another in a major competition, a new world record is set. In October 2019, Muhammad set a world record of 52.16. Since then, every world record set has been McLaughlin’s, although Muhammad continuously came close behind. In Tokyo 2021, Muhammad won silver, only 0.12 seconds behind McLaughlin. McLaughlin historically broke 52 seconds in the event in June of 2021 at the Olympic Trials. Since breaking the 52 second McLaughlin has broken her own world records 5 times. Mclaughlin ran a new world record at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a time of 50.37*. The newest upcomer who might begin to threaten McLaughlin’s dominance in the event is Femke Bol of the Netherlands. Bol’s fastest time in the 400m hurdles is currently 50.95 seconds, making her the second fastest woman to ever run the event. Bol also holds the world record for 400m on an indoor track.
*Pending Ratification
Olympics past and now:
At the age of 16, McLaughlin made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics. McLaughlin was the youngest track and field Olympian since 1972. McLaughlin has now competed in the Olympics 3 times, 2016 Rio, 2021 Tokyo, and this past summer in Paris. In her first Olympics games, McLaughlin ran only the 400m hurdles, but in Tokyo and Paris she was also part of the 4×400 m relay. At the Rio Olympics McLaughlin ran a time of 56.22 seconds in the 400m hurdles, which placed her 17th. At both Tokyo and Paris McLaughlin has taken home gold in both the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay. This past summer McLaughlin cruised through the opening rounds of 400m hurdles and finished the job handily, winning by a margin of 1.5 seconds in the final. McLaughlin also played an important role on the 4x400m relay, running a split of 47.71 seconds, helping the team achieve gold as won by a margin of 4.23 seconds.
Personal life:
McLaughlin got married in 2022 at the age of 23. Her husband, Andre Levrone, was a professional athlete as well. He played football at the University of Virginia, and then went on to play in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. However, Andre decided to stop his professional career in 2020. Sydney and Andre now live in Los Angeles, California where they are both deeply devoted to the Christian faith. On top of running, Sydney also published an autobiographical book in January of 2024 called, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith. In this book, McLaughlin shares insights and describes past parts of both her life and her running career.
By Caroline Brennan ‘26 and Lucy Farr ‘26, Contributing Writers
