"Can I please pull out?" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about being dreadful to compete at Olympic trials as a 16-year-old

In her book 'Far Beyond Gold,' published in January this year, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled the time she was scared to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics trials. She opened up about wanting to withdraw from her first heat as a 16-year-old.

The American wrapped up her 2024 Paris Olympics campaign in August and proved her billing as a formidable athlete by winning two golds. She dominated the 400m hurdles by clocking a world record time of 50.37s and trounced Anna Cockrell and Femke Bol, who finished second and third, respectively.

McLaughlin-Levrone also competed in the 4x400m relay where she and her team, including Gabby Thomas, Shamier Little, and Alexis Holmes, clocked a time of 3:15.27. They nearly missed the world record set by the former Soviet Union in 1988. The 25-year-old hurdler ran a split of 47.71s, which is the fourth-fastest relay split in history.

However, McLaughlin-Levrone was not this confident during the first Olympics of her career — the 2016 Rio Olympics. The American shared her trial experience in her book 'Far Beyond Gold,' where she revealed that she felt 'undeserving' after looking at older and stronger athletes around her.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added that she wanted to pull out after feeling underconfident as a 16-year-old.

"Junior year of high school, I ran so well, I made it to the 2016 U.S. Olym­pic trials in Eugene, Oregon. Before my first heat, I looked at the runners warming up around me. They were confident women with well-designed race strategies. I was a timid 16-year-old girl. I’d never felt so undeserving. I was so scared, I called my dad. 'Can I please pull out?' I begged," she wrote in her book.

However, her father did not allow her to withdraw, which eventually led to her victory in the heats and the next stage as well. In the final race of the trials, she claimed a third-place finish and made it to the Olympic team. Today, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is one of the most decorated athletes. She has surpassed the 400m hurdles world record six times.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about breaking the world record at the Paris Olympics 2024

Appearing on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show,' Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently opened up about surpassing the 400m hurdles world record at the Paris Olympics.

"Honestly, I always wanted to be a track athlete. I also aspired to be at the Olympics. So, this being my third Olympics, being able to break that [world] record for the sixth time, it's nothing short of God's grace," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said.

During an interview just after the Paris Olympics, she said it was a blessing for her to break the world record.

"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 said (via On Her Turf's X account).

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will next be seen competing at the track and field legend Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track in 2025.