"I was stunned, had no idea how he knew about that relationship" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled being placed under barriers by her coach

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once recalled that her coach at the University of Kentucky, Edrick Floreal, used to keep a strict eye even on her off-field activities and wrongly accused her of being in a relationship. The American sprinter eventually left the college after her freshman year.

After record-breaking pursuits during her school and junior career, McLaughlin-Levrone made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She didn't win a medal and claimed to have deliberately lost her semifinal race because of extreme pressure.

She joined the University of Kentucky in 2017 and has credited coach Floreal for massively improving her hurdles technique. However, she also felt he put massive expectations on her, making her freshman year harder.

"My relationship with Coach was the third and final reason that year at Kentucky was the hardest of my life," she wrote in her 2024 memoir 'Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith'.

The 25-year-old revealed that she was once called into his office, and questioned about her relationship with a basketball player she was just friends with.

"'What were you doing hanging around that basketball player?' he asked me once, a curious tone in his voice. 'What’s going on with you two?'," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled.

The four-time Olympic champion was stunned and claimed that while she understood he was trying to protect her, she felt she was being placed under barriers.

"I was stunned. I had no idea how Coach knew about that relationship. And it was hardly a relationship. We were friends from before orientation who connected on Instagram when we both learned we were going to the school. Definitely not boyfriend and girlfriend. Literally just friends. I had only seen him once or twice around campus, yet Coach knew."

"I was surprised by that. I guess his intention was possibly to keep me from distractions, but it still felt like another barrier placed in front of me," she concluded

McLaughlin-Levrone eventually forewent her remaining three years of collegiate eligibility and signed a professional contract with New Balance, who offered her a staggering $1.5 million annual salary in 2018.

---

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone impressed in historic campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Olympic Games-Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in action - (Source: Getty)

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after running a world record time of 50.65s at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She was named in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay teams afterward.

The 25-year-old was the overwhelming favorite to win the 400m hurdles Olympic title, and not only did she win it, she shattered her own record in the process. McLaughlin-Levrone clocked 50.37s to break the world record for the sixth time in her career.

She would later run the third fastest 4x400m relay split in history, 47.71s, to lead Team USA to the gold medal. It marked her fourth Olympic gold medal, having won two in 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well. She later earned a major World Athletics honor for her incredible campaign.