"I hated to disappoint her"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled being 'terrified' to tell her former coach about her switch to Bobby Kersee

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on being 'terrified' about an upcoming conversation with her former coach, Joanna Hayes, about her decision to move from Hayes’ guidance to Bobby Kersee's coaching. After a brief stint with the 2004 Olympic 100m hurdles champion beginning in 2018, McLaughlin-Levrone signed with Kersee in 2020.

Amid her struggles during COVID-19, Kersee's coaching brought results, leading McLaughlin-Levrone to choose him over Hayes. However, having bonded closely with Hayes, she felt 'terrified' about breaking the news. In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, she shared her thoughts, saying:

“Before I could officially switch to Bobby, I had to talk to Coach Joanna. I was terrified of the conversation. I’d never let anyone go before. I’d never had a real job or spent a day in corporate America. Everything outside the track had always been handled by my parents, the companies I represented, or my agents. I called Wes and told him how much I was dreading the conversation.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added:

“I was now a twenty-year-old woman. Joanna was in her midforties: a wife and mom. She is also a genuinely loving and kind person. We had truly bonded over our year and a half together. I hated to disappoint her.”

After her agent broke the news, McLaughlin-Levrone, who later spoke with Hayes thanking her, revealed that the former Olympic champion admitted she had realized their partnership wasn’t working anymore and assumed the hurdler would return to Edrick Floréal and not Kersee, whom Hayes had previously introduced to the 400m hurdles world record holder.

McLaughlin-Levrone has gone on to smash world records in multiple occasions under the guidance of Kersee.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach Bobby Kersee revealed how he decides when his athletes should race or skip events

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Paris Olympics (Photo: Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s coach Bobby Kersee explained the factors he considers when deciding whether his athletes should compete in a race or skip it. He revealed how he plans his athletes’ schedules, focusing on various aspects including their health, performance and others, in an interview with Citius Mag, taken in June 2024.

“First, it’s based on health. Then, it’s just based on performance and what’s needed. With all due respect to Europe, I like America. I like to race at home as much as possible. I get criticized for not going to Europe but I coach United States athletes to put them on teams."

"You can go to Italy, France, Germany or whatever. Same thing – we can go to Atlanta, New York or wherever. For us, it’s a 14-hour or seven-hour time difference, language change and food change," he added.

He further shared how time differences, language barriers, and changes in food habits pose challenges that affect both the athletes’ health and performance. As a result, he prefers to have his athletes compete in home meets like the Edwin Moses Meet rather than participate in premier European events.