Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone may only have just turned 25, but standing on the start line at the Olympic stadium is nothing new for her.
As a 16-year-old, the New Jersey native broke the 400-meter hurdle world junior record with a time of 54.15 at the 2016 US Olympic Trials. That punched her ticket to the Rio Games, where she made it to the semifinals. She returned even stronger at the Tokyo Games; she won the 400-meter hurdles, outkicking American teammate Dalilah Muhammad by 0.12 seconds. She was also a member of the gold-winning 4×400-meter relay team in Tokyo with Muhammad, Alison Felix, and Athing Mu.
And in the lead-up to the Paris Games, McLaughlin-Levrone continued to bring it. She set the new world record in the 400-meter hurdles—a blistering 50.65 seconds—at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 30. And in Paris, she not only won gold, but shattered her own world record in the process. All in all, she has already lowered the world mark
Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone may only have just turned 25, but standing on the start line at the Olympic stadium is nothing new for her.
As a 16-year-old, the New Jersey native broke the 400-meter hurdle world junior record with a time of 54.15 at the 2016 US Olympic Trials. That punched her ticket to the Rio Games, where she made it to the semifinals. She returned even stronger at the Tokyo Games; she won the 400-meter hurdles, outkicking American teammate Dalilah Muhammad by 0.12 seconds. She was also a member of the gold-winning 4×400-meter relay team in Tokyo with Muhammad, Alison Felix, and Athing Mu.
And in the lead-up to the Paris Games, McLaughlin-Levrone continued to bring it. She set the new world record in the 400-meter hurdles—a blistering 50.65 seconds—at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 30. And in Paris, she not only won gold, but shattered her own world record in the process. All in all, she has already lowered the world mark six times
There’s more to McLaughlin-Levrone than what we see on the track, though. She’s outspoken about her faith, has a fascinating family background, and she’s on a mission to push the sport of sprinting further. Here are nine things to know about the world’s fastest 400-meter hurdler.
1. McLaughlin-Levrone comes from a family of talented runners.
Everyone in McLaughlin-Levrone’s immediate family has competed on the track. Her dad, Willie McLaughlin, was a three-time NCAA All-American in the 400-meter and nearly made the Olympic team himself in 1984. He was inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. Mary McLaughlin, Sydney’s mom, ran on the boys’ track team in high school, as People reports.
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