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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once reflected on her decision to sit out of her final race for Union Catholic High School. She made the decision because of the lack of support and strained relationships with her teammates, which pushed her to a breaking point at the biggest meet of the year.
During her senior year, McLaughlin-Levrone realized that she was treated differently and there was a lack of support from her teammates after her return from the 2016 Rio Olympics. When she was then offered the chance to help her team compete for a national title for one final time in the relay event, she decided to opt out because of resentment.
In her memoir "Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith", she recalled informing her coach about sitting out of the relay race, stating:
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“I was asked to run the shuttle hurdles for a shot at winning a national title. That was my breaking point. I snapped. I told coach I wouldn’t do it. He looked at me incredulously. ‘Sydney, it’s a national title.’ But I didn’t care. I sat out the race, forfeiting a national title for myself and the other girls.”
“I just didn’t see how we could call ourselves teammates and accomplish something together after how the year had gone. I knew they didn’t like me that was clear. But I also had resentment in my heart. And I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of winning when I was still hurt,” she added.
The now four-time Olympic champion revealed in her book that her relationships with former teammates changed as she went from being just another athlete on the team to constantly being in the spotlight, which created distance between them.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her favorite Olympic memory
During her appearance on the Life and Books and Everything podcast, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflected on her favorite Olympic memory. She recollected her 400m hurdles race at the Paris Olympics as her most cherished memory, where she got to share the victory with the people who mattered most, stating (21:16 onwards):
“I think my favorite Olympic memory was after the 400 hurdles race, getting that lap around the track, the victory lap, and being able to see Andre, my parents, my trainers, friends, family. It was just like a full-circle moment of all of us getting to celebrate together.”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone comfortably secured victory in the 400m hurdles event at the quadrennial games to claim her second Olympic gold, clocking a 50.37s, much ahead of her competitors Anna Cockrell (51.87s) and Femke Bol (52.15s).
After crossing the finish line and defending her 400m hurdles Olympic title with yet another world record, she was crowned by her sister-in-law, making it a memorable moment for her.
