"I seriously considered not running my senior year" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on the aftermath of her Olympic debut in Rio

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on the aftermath of her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old. The American athlete revealed how the Olympics had a profound impact which led to several changes when she returned to her high school for her senior year

McLaughlin-Levrone revealed how there was an unsaid expectation by her peers when she got back to her school after the quadrennial games. The expectations and changes led her to contemplate the decision to compete as a part of the track team in her senior year of high school.

She spoke about the time after the Rio Olympics in detail in her book 'Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith'. The athlete revealed that a lot of people who were close to her began looking at her differently which had a personal impact on her. Moreover, these issues started creeping in when she would get onto the track during training sessions.

Ultimately, this led her to think about taking a break from the day-to-day grind of going to school as well as navigating a complicated relationship with her peers.

"When I felt as though most people close to me now looked at me differently, I took it personally. Especially because some of those issues came even to the track, running became a burden, not the outlet it had previously been for me: a place to take a break from the grind of school and the ups and downs of relationships," she wrote.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone further revealed that it led her to seriously consider quitting the high school track team.

"The adolescent pettiness became so frustrating that I seriously considered not running my senior year: quitting the Union Catholic track team and preparing for college on my own," she added.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on being unable to perform up to her full potential

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about her experience of competing alongside some of the fastest athletes in the world at the Rio Olympics as a 16-year-old. She failed to qualify for the finals after finishing fifth in the semi-finals.

McLaughlin-Levrone wrote in detail about her Olympic debut in her book.

"Honestly, I robbed myself of an opportunity. I don't know what would have happened, but I really didn't want to find out. I left Rio with the feeling that I had left something behind. It was very hard. It's not something you want to talk about, because you don't want people to be mad at you, but it was really my own thing," she wrote.

However, the experience taught her a lot about overcoming her fears as well as gave her a sense of motivation to excel and continue her pursuits towards greatness in her track career. McLaughlin-Levrone has since won four Olympic golds.