"We are a one-square-mile town, but we pack a punch" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone full of gratitude following grand welcome in hometown

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone received a grand welcome in her hometown Dunellen following her double gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics 2024. She was greeted by a raucous crowd at the Columbia Park football field on Monday, and during her speech, the four-time claimed that despite the small size of their town, it packed a punch.

McLaughlin-Levrone entered the Paris Olympics as the defending champion in the women's 400m hurdles and was also overwhelmingly the favorite. She eased through the qualification rounds, and ran away with the gold medal in the finals, blowing out the field with a new world record of 50.37s.

While it was the sixth time the 25-year-old had broken the women's 400m hurdles world record, she went on record one of the fastest 4x400m split a few days later to add another gold medal to her name. She ran the second leg in the finals, clocking a blistering 47.71s.

Following her Olympic glory, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was welcomed by a warm crowd on her return to Dunellen. She later clicked pictures with the fans before delivering a speech, thanking the townspeople for their support. She said (via MyCentralJersey.com):

“It honestly brings me so much joy every time on that TV where I see hometown and it says Dunellen, New Jersey, I truly enjoy that moment. I do and I love telling people that we are a one-square-mile town, but we pack a punch. It’s just honestly a joy. I can’t even put into words just what it means to have so much support."

“I’m always at a loss for words whenever I come home, honestly. It was here where I first fell in love with track and field. It was here where the dream became stuck in my mind since I was 8 years old that this was my passion," she added

McLaughlin-Levrone made her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

---

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was honored with a track named after in hometown following Olympic glory in 2021

Wanda Diamond League 2024 Final - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (2nd from left) in action- Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone didn't qualify for the Rio finals but when she did in Tokyo in 2021, she ran a world record time of 51.46s to win the 400m hurdles title. She later won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay and received a grand welcome in her hometown Dunnellen. During the ceremony, the borough named the town's track after the Olympic champion.

At this year's ceremony, Dunellen Mayor Jason Cilento joked that they were going to rename Middlesex County as McLaughlinville. He later announced a key to the city on a beautiful plaque among other honors for McLaughlin-Levrone.