"The expectation that I should be on the podium terrified me" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalled hiding her feelings before Olympic debut

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once recalled being burdened by the media's expectations that she would win a medal on her Olympic debut in 2016. The American hurdler was a teenager at the time but also the junior world record holder in 400m hurdles.

Mclaughlin-Levrone broke the junior world record at the 2016 Olympic trials, running a blistering 54.15s to take third place in the women's 400m hurdles. This was enough for the American to qualify for her maiden Olympics, but she didn't intend to compete.

“I’m not going. You can’t make me go. I already talked to Dad about it," she told her mother after the race [via her 2024 memoir Far Beyond Gold Running From Fear To Faith].

While McLaughlin-Levrone was eventually convinced to go to Rio for the Olympic Games, she didn't reveal her true feelings to the media when asked how she felt about qualifying.

"Most of the questions that came my way were about my feelings. “How does it feel to be an Olympian?” was the big one. I, of course, hid my true feelings, especially when someone asked me if I thought the three of us Americans could sweep the podium in Rio. I didn’t want to think about that kind of pressure. The expectation that I should be on the podium terrified me. But I tried not to let anyone see my fear. Instead, I gave an answer I thought they’d want to hear and moved on," she wrote in her memoir.

The 25-year-old eventually made her Olympic debut in Rio in the following month, running 56.32s in the preliminary round to qualify for the semifinals. However, she crumbled under the weight of the expectations in the semifinals and deliberately lost her race.

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"Guilt began to rush upon me" - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recalls the aftermath of semifinal loss at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Brussels Diamond League 2024 - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was on pace for a place in the 400m hurdles finals when she slowed down in the semifinals and finished outside of the top 3, which would advance to the next round. The 25-year-old eventually regretted her decision and questioned herself on doubting her abilities.

"As soon as I got back to my temporary home in the Olympic Village, guilt began to rush upon me. I was such a competitor. Why, under any circumstances, would I slow down? What was causing that? Who cared if I didn’t live up to the expectations of the media, fans, or anyone else?," Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wrote in the memoir.

McLaughlin-Levrone bounced back in the best possible way at the next edition of the Olympic Games, running a new world time of 51.46s to win her first 400m hurdles Olympic title. She also won a gold in the 4x400m relay and defended both of her titles at the 2024 Paris Olympics to also win the Female Track Athlete of the Year award.