"The more I won, the more fear took over"- When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up being unable to perceive her father's message

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who recently concluded her 2024 season as a world record holder, once opened up about her fear of losing and how she failed to understand her father's lesson on the same in her book, 'Far Beyond Gold.' The athlete completed her Paris Olympic campaign with dominant victories in her events.

Mclaughlin-Levrone is currently the 400m hurdles world-record holder, which was attained by her during the 2024 Summer Games. She clocked a time of 50.37s to attain the title and win the gold, defeating Anna Cockrell and Femke Bol, who recorded 51.87s and 52.15s to claim second and third place, respectively.

The 25-year-old won another gold at the Olympics in the 4x400m relay event, where she and her team, which included Shamier Little, Gabby Thomas, and Alexis Holmes, clocked 3:15.27 to stand atop the podium. However, way before being this confident and emerging out as this victorious athlete, McLaughlin-Levrone had an extreme fear of losing, and she spoke about it in her book, 'Far Beyond Gold.'

She revealed that she always wanted to live up to everyone's expectations and "defined" herself by her athletic triumphs. She said that until she faced defeats on and off the track, she wasn't able to overcome the fear of losing. She recalled a story of her childhood, when she was seven, and opened up to her father about her fear of losing. However, she then wasn't able to understand her father's message.

"I grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey, a suburb 30 miles from New York City. Both of my parents ran track, but they never pressured me. From an early age, I loved to run," said Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

"Then I began competing, and some­thing else took hold of me. A need not just to run but to win. On the way to a race when I was seven, I told my dad I was terrified of losing. “If that happens,” he said calmly, “we’ll get some food and go home.” His message didn’t sink in. The more I raced, the more I won. And the more I won, the more fear took over. What if I didn’t win the next time?"

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about the launch of her book

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone launched her book on January 30, 2024, and she announced the release on her Instagram account. She opened up about the reason behind publishing the book and laid emphasis on sharing all her trials and tribulations, her physical and mental journey with the world. She shared the look of the book and added the caption:

"You know that feeling of being held back by your fears? Or the desire to be perfect and constantly failing? I do. I actually know those feelings all too well," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wrote. "I figured it was time to start writing all of this down, so I’ve poured my heart out into a book about my faith journey and my experience fighting anxiety and perfectionism. This is an intimate look into a side of my life that you haven’t seen before. Yes, I face hurdles off the track too!"

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's last race of the 2024 season was at the Brussels Diamond League, where she was ineligible to race in the finals, but two special races were added by the organizers in honor of her talent. She raced in the 200m and 400m races, winning them after clocking 22.40s in the former and 49.11s in the latter event. She will also be participating in the 400m dash at the Grand Slam track event in 2025.