"That is so cringe" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Kenny Bednarek, and others react as they autograph their old photographs at Brussels Diamond League

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, and Yared Nuguse autographed their old pictures, feeling embarrassed about how their younger selves looked. The World and Olympic champions will be a part of the Michael Johnson-hosted Grand Slam Track league, slated to begin in 2025.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her 400m hurdles world record and clinched the final win. She also triumphed in the 4x400m relay with her team members, Gabby Thomas, Shamier Little, and Alexis Holmes. In the recently-concluded Brussels Diamond League, the 25-year-old ran the 200m and 400m invitational, and triumphed in both events.

In a recent X post, she joined Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, and Yared Nuguse to autograph old pictures that the Grand Slam Track team hilariously unveiled. When the hurdler was handed a picture from her initial track days, she said:

"Girl! Where did you find this? This is so cringe! I can't even keep a straight face. I'm weak," said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

The next athlete was Yared Nuguse, the Paris Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500m, who was shocked to learn that the team dug his first selfie out.

"Oh my god, why would you do this? This is the first selfie I've ever taken. I'm probably one of the worst [victims], I'm sure," the 25-year-old said.

Kenny Bednarek, the Paris Olympic 200m silver medalist, also signed one of his throwback pictures.

"speechless," the in-video text read.

Cole Hocker, the1500m gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Games, was relieved to see a decent picture being handed to him.

"I feel like you could have done much worse, so, I appreciate it," he said.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was also a long jumper in high school

The 400m hurdles world record holder took an interest in the long jump before she rose to fame for her prowess in the hurdles. She achieved an indoor long jump record of 6.30m. In a 2023 interview with CITIUS Mag, the four-time Olympic gold medalist opened up on her love for the event that she had to let go to focus on running.

"I long jumped when I was young, and I loved it. I absolutely loved it but I went out to high school, you know, I had to stick with the running events. I didn't have time to expand into the jumps as much because there's relays and open events and all that stuff," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said. [5.16]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was one of the first athletes to sign with the Grand Slam Track, the first season of which will run from April to September 2025.