"Almost like I'm going to war"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on her pre-race routine before major competitions

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about her pre-race routine before making appearances in major competitions. The American athlete revealed how she enjoys listening to Christian Rap music and beats which hype her up before getting into competition mode.

McLaughlin-Levrone recently defended her Olympic title with a World record in the 400m hurdles at the quadrennial games in the French Capital. This was the sixth time that the American athlete broke the World record in the event in the past four years to emerge as one of the greatest athletes to compete in the event. Moreover, she won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay to take her overall Olympic medal count to 4.

As discussions about her performances are very frequent among fans, one question that is often asked is about her pre-race preparations and the techniques that she uses to get into race mode. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone answered the question during her appearance in the 'Clearly Reformed' podcast along with her husband Andre.

The Olympic medalist revealed how she prefers to listen to worship music and read before she embarks on her journey to the track.

"I mean in the mornings while I'm getting ready I'm normally listening to some worship music of some kind, normally read the morning before a race. I feel like we tend to lean towards the Psalms, those are always wonderful," she said.

"When it comes to the warmup of the race, I need something to get me hyped up. So, normally like a Christian Rap artist of some sort. So always good stuff, clean stuff but yeah definitely has a beat that almost gets me hyped up like I'm almost going to war so, I always love having something like that which will get me ready for the moment," she added.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on her routine on a training day

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins the 400m hurdles at the Wanda Diamond League 2024 Final - Allianz Memorial Van Damme Brussels - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about her morning routine before training in an interview with Well and Good. The American athlete revealed that the first thing she does in the morning after waking up is drink lemon water, as it was recommended by her nutritionist.

"On a normal training day, I wake up around 7:30 a.m. I can wake up right before my alarm clock, my body always knows. So it’s usually around 7:25. The first thing I always do is drink a glass of lemon water," she said.

"I used to do hot lemon water, but my nutritionist explained to me that it kills the benefits of the lemon, so I drink cold lemon water. It helps reset my system and detox the body before I start the day," she added.

Which is followed by reading the Bible for 10-15 minutes before leaving for the track. McLaughlin-Levrone prefers to have oatmeal as it is long-lasting for longer workouts and revealed that her superfood is blueberries.