"We were sad to come home" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up on returning from Greece vacation with husband to run her final race of 2024 season

It's been more than a month since the Paris Olympics 2024 have come to an end. The celebrations for Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, however, are far from over. The American hurdler had a remarkable Paris Olympics campaign, breaking her world record in 400m hurdles for the sixth time, clocking 50.37s.

The 25-year-old also completed a second golden double, winning the Olympic gold in the women's 4x400m relay event for the second consecutive time, after winning the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay event at the Tokyo Olympics.

In an interview with The Today Show, McLaughlin-Levrone opened up on the entire journey before and after the Paris Olympics. Recounting her vacation in Greece, which she enjoyed with her husband Andre Levrone, McLaughlin said why it was a refreshing experience. She said:

"Yeah, absolutely. It was great just to have a moment to breathe after that [the wins at Paris Olympics], and soak it all in. You know my husband's in a seminary, so he had to get back to school, and then I had to finish up my season, so to take that week for ourselves, it was beyond beautiful, and we were sad to come home," she said.

The 25-year-old athlete was recently felicitated for her contributions at her hometown Dunellen. During the ceremony, the mayor of Dunellen, Jason Cileno, recalled the time when he joked about renaming the town after Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone following her Tokyo Olympics success.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone vacationed in Greece before the Diamond League Finals

Following a super successful campaign at the Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone took a break before the Diamond League Finals, which were held in Brussels, Belgium.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spent the time with her husband Andre Levrone, as the couple took time off and went for a trip to Greece. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone uploaded a few glimpses of her vacation via her Instagram with the caption:

"Greece photo dump [Emojis of Love Reacts, Flight, Burger etc.]"

McLaughlin-Levrone and her husband Andre Levrone also spent some time at the Dolli at Acropolis, a five-star boutique hotel which was approximately 34 kilometers away from the Athens International Airport in Greece. When the hotel acknowledged a picture of the couple on their Instagram story, the American hurdler reposted it with the caption"

"So wonderful," Levrone wrote.

Following her victories at the Paris Olympics, where she completed a golden double in the women's 400m hurdles and the women's 4x400m relay for a second consecutive time, the four-time Olympic gold medallist ended her season by participating in the invitational races at the Diamond League finals held at Brussels. She aimed to participate in the main event as well but wasn't eligible for a wild card entry since she did not participate in at least one leg of the Diamond League meet.

Apart from the World Championships scheduled to be held in Tokyo next year, McLaughlin-Levrone will also be seen in the Grand Slam Track League, conceptualized by former Olympic champion and sprinting legend Michael Johnson.