"My heart started to pound, I was shaking in my heels"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled her nervous drive to husband Andre's marriage proposal

reSydney McLaughlin-Levrone once revealed that she was extremely nervous and shaking in her heels while driving to receive the marriage proposal from her now-husband Andre Levrone. The engagement was supposed to be a surprise from the former NFL Player but the Olympian knew it.

Sydney and Andre met through Instagram in 2020, and while it was the latter who made the first move, the American hurdler was equally attracted from the start. The couple shared a deep love for faith and started dating during the COVID-19 lockdown before making it official in December of that year.

Following Sydney's record-breaking campaign at the Tokyo Olympics, she was preparing to celebrate her birthday with her female friends at a resort. However, it was actually a surprise marriage proposal from Andre, and noticing the change in everyone's behavior around her, the 25-year-old knew what was coming her way.

Recalling the moment in her 2024 memoir 'Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith', Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone revealed she was sweating during the ride to the restaurant due to nervousness.

"We made our way from our Airbnb to the Four Seasons Resort, where we had a dinner reservation. I was driving, two of my friends were in the back seat, and the videographer sat in the passenger seat so he could videotape me. It was almost unbelievable. Surreal. I thought, I am literally driving to my proposal. I was sweating the entire drive," she wrote.

The four-time Olympic champion added that on reaching the resort, her suspicions rose further and she started shaking in her heels.

"The staff at the Four Seasons clearly knew what I suspected. They smiled when they saw me and the videographer capturing my every move. A waiter handed me an envelope and said since this was my birthday party, my friends had made sure the patio was decorated in my honor. My heart started to pound. Shaking in my heels, I tried to hold myself together. I was excited. Nervous," she added.

The 25-year-old would find Andre waiting on the lawn with the engagement ring and said it was the easiest 'yes' of her life. They married the following year in May at Early Mountain Vineyards in Virginia.

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"It's nerve-racking" - Andre on watching Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone compete over the 400m hurdles

World Athletics Awards 2024 - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Andre Levrone (Source: Getty)

While Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is arguably the greatest 400m hurdler in history and a treat to watch when in action, her husband Andre Levrone claimed to feel on the edge of a cliff while watching the Olympian jump over the hurdles.

Speaking during an appearance on the 'Life and Books and Everything' podcast, the former NFL player said that while he felt at ease when McLaughlin-Levrone competed in flat races, it was a nerve-wracking experience for him watching the world record holder compete in the hurdles events.

“It's nerve-wracking, that's the word, especially with hurdles. You hit the nail right on the head. It's the hurdle aspect. Whenever she runs flat or open races, I'm just, ‘She's fine.' I really am confident, she's gonna win. But, at the same time, there's no barriers, there's no unanticipated circumstances that can really happen,” he said [34:40 onwards].

Since breaking the world record time for the first time at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has shaved off nearly 1.5 seconds and clocked 50.37s for the new mark at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she also clocked the third fastest 4x400m split in history.