"I was quick to cut off the relationship"- When Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone opened up about navigating the fear of being misunderstood

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled an incident with an old friend and revealed how she used to handle her relationships because of the fear of being misunderstood.

McLaughlin-Levrone delivered staunch performances at the Paris Olympics, as she won two gold medals in the event. She won her first gold of the 2024 Summer Games in the 400m hurdles, where she clocked an impressive world record of 50.37s, besting Anna Cockrell and Femke Bol. Following this, she won her second gold medal in the 4x400m relay.

Apart from being a stellar athlete, McLaughlin-Levrone is also an author, and in her memoir, Far Beyond Gold', she has opened up about multiple stories of her life. She has also spoken about navigating the fear of being misunderstood.

Recalling an incident with her high school friend, the athlete said that the latter had devoted herself to God and wanted McLaughlin-Levrone to do the same. The Olympian revealed that her friend did uncomfortable interrogations about her relationship and career, which she was not comfortable answering because of the fear of disapproval.

"Looking back, it was a fear of judgment that drew me away from answering those questions. Her intention was to help draw me closer to God, but the last thing I wanted that year was more people in my business," said McLaughlin-Levrone.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added:

"Those relationship problems translated into a new kind of fear: fear of being misunderstood and misjudged. That made me close my heart to others... Nothing bothered me more than people viewing me in a way I didn't believe was true. When that happened, I was quick to cut off the relationship or end the friendship."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about her 2025 plans

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently won the Female Track Athlete of the Year Award after delivering remarkable performances in the 2024 season. She gave a speech reflecting on the previous year and also spoke about the upcoming season, stating that she is not sure about its schedule.

The Olympian stated that she would decide about her schedule after consulting the team and take one step at a time. She said:

"Honestly, I don't even know. Mondo is already training, I should be back home but honestly I can't even tell you, I just, the number thing is always being healthy and for our team taking it one step at a time making sure we are doing what we need to do and we make some decisions as we go and its worked so far and I'm excited to keep going," McLaughlin-Levrone said.

The American athlete recently signed with Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track for the 2025 season and will compete in both the 400m and 400m hurdles. There is also a possibility of her competing in the 200m dash.