"For about an hour I cried" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled being swept away by husband Andre's Valentine's Day surprise

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once revealed that she cried for about an hour after being smitten by her husband Andre's Valentine's Day surprise. The four-time Olympic champion was coming from a defeat in the season opener, making the surprise even more special for her.

McLaughlin-Levrone met Andre on Instagram in 2020, and while the former NFL player made the first move by messaging her, the sprinter was equally attracted. It didn't take them time to get going with Andre flying off to Los Angeles for their first date.

Following COVID-19, the Olympian opened her 2021 season at the New Balance Grand Prix but placed eighth in the 60m hurdles. McLaughlin-Levrone said she was disappointed in herself, and when she entered her room in the hotel, she was welcomed by "balloons, flowers and candy laid neatly on my bed."

"I suddenly remembered it was Valentine’s Day. I laid down in the dark, surrounded by Andre’s gestures of affection, and started to cry," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wrote in her 2024 memoir 'Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear To Faith'.

The 25-year-old further wrote:

"Moments later, there was a knock on the door. Andre entered with a bouquet of flowers. Still processing the embarrassment, I just wept. He consoled me with encouraging words I couldn’t hear over the sound of my self-pity.

"I felt grateful for his kind, thoughtful, and very romantic gifts, but something in me wouldn’t let me enjoy them. The negative thoughts outweighed the good, and for about an hour I cried."

The loss in the 60m hurdles didn't hurt McLaughlin-Levrone's season, and she went on to break the 400m hurdles world record at the Olympic Trials. She clocked 51.90s to defeat Dalilah Muhammed for the first time in a major event and then beat her and broke the record again at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, running 51.46s for her maiden gold medal.

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Andre Levrone surprised Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with an engagement ring following the Tokyo Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin-Levronne and Andre at the World Athletics Awards 2024 - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Andre Levrone got engaged following the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver surprised the Olympian when she was at a female-only birthday party with her friends. Recalling the moment Andre got down on one knee, McLaughlin-Levrone wrote in the aforementioned memoir:

"Before Andre got down on one knee, he did what he does so well: gave a glorious speech. He recalled the highs and lows of our relationship. He told me how much he loved me; he said he knew, more than he’d known almost anything else in his life, that God had brought the two of us together. Then he asked me to marry him."

The 25-year-old further said it was the easiest decision of her life, explaining in her engagement announcement post that she had found everything she had prayed for in Andre.