"Truly will be missed" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone pays heartfelt tribute to former athlete and Olympic medalist Ralph Mann

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone honored the memory of Ralph Mann after his passing on January 2 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 75. She shared a tribute via her social media handle on Saturday, expressing deep condolences for the late Olympic champion.

Ralph Mann was a decorated hurdler who claimed a silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1972 Olympics and gold at the 1971 Pan American Games. He was a three-time NCAA Champion in the 400-yard hurdles while competing for Brigham Young University. In 1970, he set a world record for the 400y hurdles at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines.

The news of his passing was shared by CitiusMag via Instagram on January 3, accompanied by a post highlighting his remarkable athletic career.

Following the news, McLaughlin-Levrone honored the Olympic champion with a heartfelt tribute by resharing the post on her Instagram story and writing:

"Truly will be missed"

Screenshot of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's Instagram Story/ Source: Instagram/ @sydneymclaughlin16

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic gold medalist. Her gold medal tally includes victories at the World Championships between 2019 and 2022. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she claimed two golds in the 4x400m relay and the 400m hurdles.

After turning professional following her freshman year at the University of Kentucky, Levrone was introduced to Ralph Mann when she moved to LA to train with Joanna Hayes.

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Ralph Mann's advice helped Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone refine her technique and clinch the Tokyo Olympic gold

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's career in the 400m hurdles redefined the limits of the event, solidifying her as one of the world's top sprinters. Her breakthrough as an elite athlete is attributed to her collaboration with Ralph Mann.

After turning professional sprinter in 2018, the 25-year-old was introduced to the 1972 Olympic silver medalist, whose experience in biomechanics played a pivotal role in refining her hurdling technique. Mann filmed her movements and analyzed them against an ideal sprinting form.

Reflecting on the results of his analysis, Mann said:

"Sydney had problems. She couldn’t hurdle with her opposite leg. With her primary leg, she was mediocre at best. And her training wasn’t to the point where she could handle the last three hurdles. The problem with this is that no athlete likes to work on their weaknesses. What convinced her is that she hates to lose." (nymag.com)

Ralph Mann played a vital role in Levrone's improvement, especially after her loss to Dalilah Muhammad at the 2019 US National Championships. His focused approach shed light on her difficulty in hurdling with her opposite leg and inefficacies in her primary leg technique.

Following Mann's advice, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's resilience paid off as she and her coach, Bobby Kersee worked on the hurdler's technique, eventually helping McLaughlin Levrone clinch the gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, notably finishing ahead of Dalilah Muhammad.