"They don’t reject me, they reject Jesus living in me" - When Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was hurt by reactions towards her world record performance

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the 400m hurdles world record for the first time at the 2021 Olympic Trials but instead of bringing her joy, it brought her down to tears. The Olympic champion posted an emotional video days after the race, expressing her disappointment in people around her over the lack of excitement they showed.

McLaughlin-Levrone rose to prominence after winning the world youth title in 2015. She placed third in the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Olympic Trials, becoming the youngest U.S. Track Olympian since 1980. McLaughlin-Levrone didn't win any medals, finishing fifth in her semifinal heat.

The 25-year-old remained under the shadow of then-world record holder Dalilah Muhammed before starting to challenge her in 2019. When the track season resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, the world saw a new Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. After breaking the 400m hurdles world record for the first time at the 2021 Olympic Trials, the four-time Olympic champion hasn't lost a single race in the event.

McLaughlin-Levrone had clocked 51.90s at the trials, becoming the first woman in history to run under 52 seconds. While the Diamond League champion expected loads of excitement from some of the people close to her, she felt like they didn't even care about her world-record performance.

"These are opportunities that you don’t get every single day. I felt like the people I thought would be the most excited for me literally almost didn’t even care. I have some really great people in my life that love me more than I can say some family loves me, and I’m just going to be real — it hurts," she said in a video uploaded on her Instagram handle in August 2021. [2:21 onwards]

The 25-year-old added that those people who were rejecting her were rejecting the Jesus inside her.

“Our world only accepts ignorance and it hurts my feelings and I find it really disrespectful that you can do everything right and it’ll never be enough. There’s still always a problem with you… I know they don’t reject me, they reject Jesus living in me… I could do nothing to so many people and that offends them," she added. [3:42 onwards]

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wanted respect instead of fame

Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Day 14 - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone - Source: Getty

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also claimed that she was facing racial abuse during the time and had been activating and deactivating her social media accounts. She added that she didn't want the fame that comes with being an Olympian, but just wanted a ‘little bit’ of respect.

“I don’t want the fame. I would just like a little bit of respect… You may not agree with my message, but in the sport at the age of 21 to be a two-time Olympian and a world record holder, I would just like a little bit of respect, just a little bit. You guys can have all that other stuff," she said in the aforementioned video. [7:52 onwards]

She added:

"I can’t control what color my skin is, who presses the follower button, but I can control what I do on that track and that’s the thing that doesn’t get the respect and it blows my mind." [9:11 onwards]

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone went on to win the 400m hurdles title in Tokyo with another record-breaking run. She has since lowered the record to 50.37s, running the blistering time to defend her 400m hurdles title at the 2024 Paris Olympics.