"People who receive this kind of honor are retired" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled feeling 'undeserving' of recognition after Olympic debut

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once recalled that she felt undeserving of the honors being bestowed upon her after making her debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics as a high schooler. She was the youngest American track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games in 36 years.

McLaughlin-Levrone was born into an athletic family. Her father, Willie McLaughlin-Levrone, was a 400m semifinalist at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and she was inclined towards running from an early age. After breaking several age group and high school records, the New Jersey native introduced herself to the world at the US Olympic Trials.

She clocked 54.15s in the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Trials to break the world junior record and qualify for the Olympics. However, McLaughlin-Levrone didn't advance from the semifinal stage in Rio.

She was a high school Olympian nonetheless and received enormous recognition in her hometown.

"Not long after the Olympics ended that year, Dunellen, the small New Jersey borough where I’d gone to elementary and middle school, hung signs around displaying this was my hometown. That included our local track," she wrote in her 2016 memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear To Faith.

However, McLaughlin-Levrone said she felt underserving of the recognition and was yet to reach the level to become the "namesake of our one-square-mile town".

"I was grateful for the recognition but also felt undeserving. Normally, people who receive this kind of honor have accomplished a lot. They’re near the end of their career or retired. I had barely checked anything off my to-do list. I know my town was just excited for me, as well as proud, but the competitor within me felt even more obligated to hurry and achieve my goals to validate this gesture," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added.

It's worth noting that the four-time Olympic champion also confessed to having deliberately lost her semifinal race at the Rio Olympics, a decision she would heavily regret later.

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"We are a one-square-mile town, but we pack a punch" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on returning to Dunellen after Paris 2024

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone poses with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was welcomed by a raucous crowd at the Colombia Football Field in Dunellen following her double gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was overwhelmed by the support she received and said (via My CentralJersey.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," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said.

“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.

The 25-year-old broke the world record in the 400m hurdles, clocking 50.37s to defend her 400m hurdles Olympic title. She also ran the third fastest 4x400m split in history to win the gold with the U.S. women's relay team.