"Learning to fall back in love with the sport"- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone grateful following emphatic victory at LA Grand Prix 2024

American track and field athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone expressed gratitude after her victory at the 2024 Los Angeles Grand Prix. In the LA Grand Prix, she impressed fans with her sensational performance, where she established a new personal best time of 22.07s, competing in the 200m event.

On her way to triumph, she defeated a star-studded field comprising Abby Steiner (22.32s), Brittany Brown (22.35s), Rhasidat Adeleke (22.45s), Jenna Prandini (22.61), and Gabby Thomas (22.68s), who achieved positions from second to sixth respectively.

McLaughlin took to Instagram to share her emotions after her victory at the Los Angeles Grand Prix that took place at the Drake Stadium on May 18, stating:

“Learning to fall back in love with the sport I’ve grown up in. It has its ups and downs with injuries, shortcomings, and everything in between. Still, it’s the most joyful experience to feel the freedom of running.”

She further expressed her gratitude, adding:

“To get to do what you love everyday is a gift, and to have an opportunity to share Gods message through that makes the journey have true meaning. Grateful for progress, and thankful for Gods grace. 😊🏃🏽‍♀️✨”

Although the 400m hurdles world record holder competed in the 200m at the LA Grand Prix, her coach, Bobby Kersee revealed in an interview with NBC Sports that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's main focus will be on defending her Olympic title in the distance, having clinched gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Sydney McLaughlin had opened her 2024 Olympic season by featuring in the 2024 Occidental Invitational, where she competed in both 100m and 110m hurdles. She won both the finals by clocking 22.38s and 12.71s respectively on the watch.

A look into Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s accomplishments

Sydney McLaughlin of Team United States celebrates after competing in the Women's 400m Hurdles Final on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 04, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Following her win in the 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone played a crucial role in the USA team’s gold-medal triumph in the women's 4x400m relay event as she ran the first leg at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The United States won the race in a season-best time of 3:16.85.

In addition to this, she has collected three gold and one silver medal in the World Athletics Championships in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m women’s relay events while competing during the 2019 and 2022 editions.

Besides these achievements, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also won the 2019 Diamond League title in the 400m hurdles and is a former gold medalist at the World Youth Championships in the same event.