Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone facts for kids
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McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2022 World Athletics Championships
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| Birth name | Sydney Michelle McLaughlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 7, 1999 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 134 lbs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Andre Levrone Jr.
(m. 2022) |
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| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| College team | Kentucky Wildcats (2017–2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | 1 (weeks 75, 400 m hurdles) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sydney Michelle McLaughlin-Levrone (born August 7, 1999) is an American track and field star. She is famous for running the 400 metres hurdles, where she holds the world record. She has won many gold medals, including at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Sydney set a new world record of 50.37 seconds in the 400m hurdles at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She is the first track athlete to break four world records in the same event. She was also the first woman to run the 400m hurdles in under 52 seconds (in 2021) and under 51 seconds (in 2022). She also won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. In all four major competitions, she also won gold as part of the women's 4 × 400m relay team.
When she was just 15, Sydney became the 2015 World youth champion. In 2016, she was the youngest athlete since 1980 to join the U.S. Olympic track team. She holds the world U20 record for the 400m hurdles. She also holds six of the ten fastest times ever recorded in the women's 400m hurdles. In 2022, she was named the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Sydney McLaughlin was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on August 7, 1999. She grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey. Her parents, Willie and Mary McLaughlin, were also track and field athletes. Her father, Willie, was a three-time All-American in college and a semi-finalist in the 400 meters at the 1984 Olympic Trials. Her mother, Mary, ran track in high school.
Sydney started running at a young age, following her older brother Taylor and older sister Morgan. Her father noticed her special talent early on. She went to Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains. There, she was the first athlete to win the Gatorade Player of the Year in Track & Field twice. Her siblings also excelled in track. Her older brother, Taylor, won a silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2016 World U20 Championships. Her younger brother, Ryan, also became a track star.
High School and College Achievements
In 2014, at the national junior championships, Sydney finished second in the 400m hurdles. Her time of 55.63 seconds was a new national high school freshman record. It was also the best time in the world for a 14-year-old. She also set a world best for her age group in the 100m hurdles.
In 2015, she improved her 400m hurdles time to 55.28 seconds. This was the best time for a 15-year-old worldwide. She won gold at the World Youth Championships in Colombia. She ended the year as the top youth and junior athlete in the event.
2016: Olympic Debut
Sydney won the 400m hurdles at the New Balance national outdoor high school championships. Her time of 54.46 seconds broke several records. She also helped her high school team set a new record in the Swedish medley relay. She was named the Gatorade National Girls Athlete of the Year.
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At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Sydney finished third in the 400m hurdles with a time of 54.15 seconds. This set a new world youth best and world junior record. It also qualified her for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was the youngest athlete to join the American Olympic track and field team since 1980. At the Olympics, she did not make it to the finals.
2017: More Records and Awards
In 2017, Sydney was part of a team that broke the indoor distance medley relay world record. She ran a fast 400m leg. Later, she broke her own national 400m record indoors with a time of 51.61 seconds.
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She also broke the 300m hurdles national high school record, running 38.90 seconds. This was her first time running the 300m hurdles. She also ran the fastest ever high school girls relay split (400m) at the Penn Relays. She improved this mark later, running a 49.85-second split.
Sydney was named the Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year for two years in a row (2015–16 and 2016–17). She was the first athlete to achieve this.
University of Kentucky Career
In 2016, Sydney decided to attend the University of Kentucky for college. In March 2018, she set a world junior 400m record of 50.36 seconds. In May, she broke the college record in the 400m hurdles, running 52.75 seconds. After one year at Kentucky, she decided to become a professional athlete. She signed a sponsorship deal with New Balance.
Professional Career Highlights
Sydney is coached by Bob Kersee, a famous track coach.
2019: World Championships Silver
At the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Sydney ran the 400m hurdles in 52.23 seconds. She finished second, just behind Dalilah Muhammad. She won every Diamond League race she entered in the 400m hurdles that year.
2021: Olympic Gold and World Records
In 2021, Sydney beat Dalilah Muhammad at the Olympic Trials. She set a new 400m hurdles world record of 51.90 seconds. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Sydney improved her time to 51.46 seconds, winning the Olympic gold. She also won a second gold medal as part of the women's 4×400m relay team.
2022: Breaking the 51-Second Barrier
In 2022, Sydney started her season by winning the 100m hurdles in 12.75 seconds. In June, she broke her own world record in the 400m hurdles again, running 51.41 seconds. A month later, at the World Championships, she broke her own world record once more with a time of 50.68 seconds. She became the first woman to run the 400m hurdles in under 51 seconds. She also won gold with the Women's 4×400m relay team.
2023: Focusing on the 400m Flat Race
In 2023, Sydney started running the 400 meters flat race as a professional. In June, she ran 49.71 seconds in Paris, France. Later that month, she ran 49.51 seconds. On July 8, 2023, she ran a world-leading time of 48.74 seconds. She had to withdraw from the 2023 World Athletics Championships due to a knee injury.
2024: More Olympic Gold and World Records
On May 18, Sydney won the 200m race at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. In June, she ran her first 400m race of the season in 48.75 seconds. On June 30, 2024, at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Sydney broke her own 400m hurdles world record again, finishing in 50.65 seconds. This qualified her for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
At the Olympic Games in Paris on August 8, 2024, Sydney broke her own world record one more time. She finished in 50.37 seconds, defending her Olympic title. She also won another gold medal as part of the Women's 4×400m relay.
Personal Life
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is married to Andre Levrone Jr. They got engaged in August 2021 and married in May 2022. Andre played football for the University of Virginia.
Sydney is a Christian. She and her husband attend Grace Community Church in Los Angeles.
Her hometown of Dunellen, New Jersey, named the track at Columbia Park after her in August 2021. In January 2024, Sydney released her book, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith. It tells the story of her life and experiences.
Awards and Recognition
- World Athletics Awards
- Rising Star (Women): 2018
- World Athlete of the Year (Women): 2022
- Women’s Track Athlete of the Year: 2024
- Night of Legends Award
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year: 2021, 2022
- Most Dominant Performer Wing Award: 2024
Images for kids
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McLaughlin at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials
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McLaughlin with high school 800m record holder Mike Granville in 2017
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At the 2019 World Championships held in Doha, 29-year-old Dalilah Muhammad held off 20-year-old McLaughlin by 0.07 seconds
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At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, McLaughlin-Levrone became the first woman to break the 51-second barrier in the 400 m hurdles
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McLaughlin-Levrone ahead of the competition in her 400 m hurdles semi-final at the 2024 Paris Olympics
