Mikaela Shiffrin has been in awe of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after she broke her own world record yet again to win the Olympic gold medal for women's 400m hurdles. The two-time Olympic gold medalist alpine skier recently posted a tweet on her X (formerly Twitter) account, which went viral on social media.
In the tweet was a selfie of Shiffrin with the Olympic champion McLaughlin-Levrone, who was anointed with a tiara for her iconic performance. Shiffrin posted [via @MikaelaShiffrin on X],
"Like I said.....QUEEN. Literally."
McLaughlin-Levrone was beaten by Femke Bol in terms of overall timing during the heats. The Dutch hurdler had clocked 53.38 seconds, while the American had clocked 53.60 seconds to qualify for the semifinals. However, the defending Olympic champion proved her mettle in the semifinals once again, by clocking 52.13 seconds, while Femke Bol could only manage 52.57 seconds.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record set at the US Olympic Track and Field trials to complete the race within 50.37 seconds. Except for that, the finals were just a replay of the event from the Tokyo Olympics, except that it was Anna Cockrell who won the silver medal, while the gold medalist and the bronze medalist remained the same.
Mikaela Shiffrin's consistent support for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at Paris Olympics
Mikaela Shiffrin's support for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone isn't something entirely new. Like with her support for Simone Biles, Shiffrin has been consistently supporting McLaughlin Levrone, as well as the American contingent for the Paris Olympics.
Hours before the finals, Shiffrin had a selfie with the fans of the American hurdler. The alpine skier also posted it on her X account as:
"Official Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone fan club [Emojis]"
However, that was not all. As soon as McLaughlin-Levrone won the event, breaking her own record, Shiffrin immediately posted,
"Ok, raise your hand if you were bawling. Cuz I definitely was, That was just STUNNING to watch in person. Congrats, Sydney."
Both Mikaela Shiffrin and McLaughlin-Levrone share a few things in common, one of which having a penchant for breaking records. Just as the American hurdler has now broken and set multiple records in 400m hurdles, Shiffrin holds the record for the most World Cup wins in the history of alpine skiing.
Additionally, both have won two consecutive gold medals at the Olympics-McLaughlin-Levrone at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Paris Olympics 2024, while Mikaela Shiffrin clinched victories at the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018. Lastly, both were nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award in 2023 and 2024, though neither of them managed to win the award.