"I get a lot of flack"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone makes her stance clear about criticism for her serious persona while competing

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed her thoughts on receiving criticism for her serious personality on the track. The American athlete is often seen to be very serious before her races as she lines-up to compete and revealed that it is because she tries to maintain utmost focus to put forward a great performance.

McLaughlin-Levrone created history at the Paris Olympics after successfully defending her 400m hurdles title and breaking the world record in the event for the sixth consecutive time. Her dominance on the track has always been a discussion among fans however, her one such attribute which stands out as compared to her peers is her composed attitude before races.

The American athlete has faced from some fans on social media for not hyping up the crowd during her introduction. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone addressed the situation in an interview with Grand Slam Track and revealed that she tries to be laser focused and stick to the race plan before a race. Furthermore, she revealed that she shows her fun side off the track during interviews and media appearances.

"I get a lot of flack for not showing enough personality on the track but its because I'm trying to give you all the best performances possible. If you want the personality. You're going to have to get it here. This is it. Pick one, we can't have both. Ok, thank you," she said.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on the importance of focus while competing

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competes in the 4x400m relay at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024: Day 15 - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about the importance of focus in a post-race interview. The American athlete gave an example of her appearance in the finals of the women's 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics and revealed how her competitors alongside her definitely try to push the limits however, if she did not continue running with focus on the hurdles, she would not be able to achieve the desired result.

McLaughlin-Levrone revealed how along with great competitors, the pressure of competing in the sport's largest stage adds on to the nerves which can indeed have a profound impact on an athlete's performance.

"Obviously, there are people next to you and they're going to push you, but it doesn't matter if you don't focus on the barriers in front of you. That was my focus, trying to be as efficient as I could over my 10 hurdles and trying to lower that time every time," she said.

The Olympic gold medalist is yet to make an official announcement about her plans for the Indoor season however, she will be competing in the inaugural edition of Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track that is scheduled to start in April 2025.