Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2022 World Athletics Championships
Personal information
Birth name	Sydney Michelle McLaughlin
Born	(1999-08-07) August 7, 1999 (age 26) New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in
Weight	134 lbs
Spouse(s)	Andre Levrone Jr. ​ (m. 2022)​
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	400 m hurdles 400 m
College team	Kentucky Wildcats (2017–2018)
Coached by	Mike McCabe (2013–2017) Edrick Floréal (2017–2018) Joanna Hayes (2018–2020) Bob Kersee (2020–present)
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	1 (weeks 75, 400 m hurdles)
Personal best(s)	100 m: 11.07 w (2018) 200 m: 22.07 (2024) 400 m: 48.74 (2023) 100 mH: 12.65 (2021) 400 mH: 50.37 (2024, WR, OR) Short track 200 m: 22.68 i (2018) 400 m: 50.36 i (2018)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo 400 m hurdles Gold 2020 Tokyo 4 × 400 m relay Gold 2024 Paris 400 m hurdles Gold 2024 Paris 4 × 400 m relay World Championships Gold 2019 Doha 4 × 400 m relay Gold 2022 Eugene 400 m hurdles Gold 2022 Eugene 4 × 400 m relay Silver 2019 Doha 400 m hurdles Diamond League 2019 400 m hurdles World Youth Championships Gold 2015 Cali 400 m hurdles

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (born August 7, 1999) is an amazing American athlete. She is a top hurdler and sprinter. Sydney holds the world record in the 400 meters hurdles event.

She has won many gold medals. These include gold at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics. She also won gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she set a new world record. Her time was 50.37 seconds. This broke her own previous record of 50.65 seconds. Sydney is the first track athlete to break four world records in the same event. She did this in just 13 months! She was also the first woman to run the 400m hurdles under 52 seconds (in 2021) and under 51 seconds (in 2022).

Sydney won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. In all four major competitions, she also won gold. She was part of the women's 4 × 400m relay team.

When she was 15, Sydney won the 400m hurdles at the 2015 World Youth Championships. In 2016, she became the youngest athlete since 1980 to join the U.S. Olympic track team. She set a world under-18 best time of 54.15 seconds. This was also a world U20 record at the time. She still holds the world U20 record of 53.60 seconds.

Only a few other women have ever run the 400m hurdles under 52 seconds. Sydney holds six of the ten fastest times ever in this event. She was also the 2019 Diamond League champion. In 2022, Sydney was named the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year.

Early Life and Family Background

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was born on August 7, 1999. Her birthplace was New Brunswick, New Jersey. She grew up in Dunellen, New Jersey.

Her parents are Willie and Mary McLaughlin. Her father, Willie, was a talented track and field athlete. He was a three-time All-American at Manhattan College. He even reached the semi-finals in the 400 meters at the 1984 Olympic Trials.

Her mother, Mary, was also a runner in high school. She ran on the boys' team at Cardinal O'Hara High School. Her parents met while studying at Manhattan College.

Sydney started running at a young age. She followed her older brother, Taylor, and older sister, Morgan. Her father noticed her special talent early on.

Sydney went to Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains. She was the first athlete to win the Gatorade Player of the Year in Track & Field twice. Her sister, Morgan, ran for St. Peter's University. Her brother, Taylor, ran for the University of Michigan. He won a silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles in 2016. Her younger brother, Ryan, also became a track star. He was the fifth family member to win a New Jersey county track title.

High School and College Track Career

In 2014, Sydney competed in the national junior championships. She finished second in the 400-meter hurdles. Her time of 55.63 seconds was a new record for high school freshmen. It was also the best time in the world for a 14-year-old. She was too young to compete for the United States at the 2014 World Junior Championships. That summer, she also set a world best for her age group in the 100-meter hurdles.

In 2015, she improved her 400-meter hurdles time to 55.28 seconds. This was a world best for 15-year-olds. It was the second-fastest time ever for a youth athlete. She won a gold medal at the World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia. She ended the year as the top youth and junior athlete in the event.

2016 Season Highlights

Sydney won the 400-meter hurdles at the New Balance national high school championships. Her time of 54.46 seconds broke old records. It was a new high school record and a world youth best. It also broke the American junior record. She also helped her team set a new high school record in the Swedish medley relay. She ran a very fast 400-meter part in 50.93 seconds.

The following week, she won the USATF junior championship. She was named Gatorade National Girls Athlete of the Year.

McLaughlin-Levrone at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials

At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Sydney finished third in the 400-meter hurdles. Her time was 54.15 seconds. This set a new world youth best and world junior record. She qualified for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was still in high school at the time. She was the youngest athlete to make the American Olympic track and field team since 1980. At the Olympics, she did not make it to the finals.

2017 Season Highlights

In 2017, Sydney was part of a team that set an American record. They broke the indoor distance medley relay world record. This happened at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. Sydney ran her 400-meter part in 52.32 seconds. Later that year, she lowered her own national 400-meter record to 51.61 seconds.

McLaughlin-Levrone with then-high school 800 m record holder Mike Granville in 2017

In April, Sydney broke the 300-meter hurdles national high school record. She ran 38.90 seconds at the Arcadia Invitational. This was her first time running the 300-meter hurdles. Her time was also a North American record. Later that month, she ran the fastest ever high school girls relay split. She ran 400 meters in 50.37 seconds at the Penn Relays. She improved this mark in June, running 49.85 seconds.

Sydney was named the Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year in both 2015–16 and 2016–17. She was the first athlete to win this award twice. In July 2017, she was on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. The magazine called her "one of the most dominant high school athletes ever."

College at the University of Kentucky

In November 2016, Sydney decided to attend the University of Kentucky. She joined their track and field team.

In March 2018, she set a world junior 400-meter record. She ran 50.36 seconds at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. On May 13, Sydney broke the college record in the 400-meter hurdles. She ran 52.75 seconds to win her first SEC championship.

Professional Track Career

In June 2018, after one year at Kentucky, Sydney became a professional athlete. She signed a sponsorship deal with New Balance in October 2018. She chose to work with William Morris Endeavor, a company that usually represents Hollywood stars. Her coach is Bob Kersee, who is known for coaching successful female athletes.

2019 Season

At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finished second.

At the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Sydney ran the 400-meter hurdles in 52.23 seconds. She finished second behind Dalilah Muhammad. She won every Diamond League race she ran in the 400-meter hurdles that year. She won in Oslo, Monaco, and the Diamond League Final in Zürich.

2021 Season

In 2021, Sydney beat Dalilah Muhammad at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She set a new 400-meter hurdles world record time of 51.90 seconds. Later, at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Sydney improved her time to 51.46 seconds. This won her the Olympic gold medal. She also won a second gold medal as part of the women's 4 × 400m relay team.

2022 Season

At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone became the first woman to run the 400 m hurdles in under 51 seconds.

In 2022, Sydney started her season by winning the 100-meter hurdles at the Penn Relays. Her time was 12.75 seconds. In June, she broke her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles again. She ran 51.41 seconds at the USATF Championships in Eugene.

A month later, at the World Championships, she broke her world record once more. Her time was 50.68 seconds. She became the first woman to run the 400-meter hurdles in under 51 seconds. She also won gold with the Women's 4 × 400m relay team. She ended her season by winning at the Gyulai István Memorial.

2023 Season

On June 9, 2023, Sydney ran her first 400-meter race as a professional. She ran 49.71 seconds and finished second at the 2023 Diamond League meet in Paris, France. Later that month, she ran 49.51 seconds at the New York Grand Prix. On July 8, 2023, Sydney ran a world-leading time of 48.74 seconds at the USATF Championships in Eugene. She almost broke the American record.

On August 11, 2023, she had to withdraw from the 2023 World Athletics Championships because of a knee injury.

2024 Season

McLaughlin-Levrone leading her 400 m hurdles semi-final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On May 18, 2024, Sydney won the 200-meter race at the Los Angeles Grand Prix. In June, she competed in her first 400-meter race of the season. She ran a world-leading time of 48.75 seconds.

On June 30, 2024, at the 2024 Olympic Trials, Sydney broke her own 400-meter hurdles world record again. She finished in 50.65 seconds and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics. On August 8, 2024, at the Olympic Games in Paris, Sydney broke her own world record once more. She finished in 50.37 seconds and won her second Olympic title in the event. She also won another gold medal as part of the Women's 4 × 400m relay.

In September 2024, Sydney was going to compete in the Diamond League finals. However, she was not eligible because she had not competed in enough Diamond League events that season. She still competed in other races there, winning both the 200m and 400m.

Personal Life and Interests

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is married to Andre Levrone Jr. They got engaged on August 25, 2021. They were married on May 5, 2022. Andre played football for the University of Virginia. He also played for a few NFL teams before retiring in 2020.

Sydney is a Christian. She and her husband are part of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles.

Her hometown of Dunellen, New Jersey, honored her on August 28, 2021. They named the track at Columbia Park after her.

On January 30, 2024, Sydney released her book. It is called Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith. The book tells her life story. It covers her experiences from the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials to the 2023 outdoor season. Her book focuses on her running career. It also shares her journey to become closer to God. She wrote the book to share her story and inspire others.

Sydney's Best Times

Here are some of Sydney's best times in different races.

Outdoor Races

Indoor Races

Competition Achievements

Here are some of Sydney's major competition results.

International Competitions

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
2015	World Youth Championships	Cali	1st	400 m hurdles	55.94
2016	Olympic Games	Rio	sf (17th)	400 m hurdles	56.22
2019	World Championships	Doha	2nd	400 m hurdles	52.23
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:18.92
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo	1st	400 m hurdles	51.46
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:16.85
2022	World Championships	Eugene	1st	400 m hurdles	50.68
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:17.79
2024	Olympic Games	Paris	1st	400 m hurdles	50.37
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:15.27

National Championships

Awards and Recognition

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has received many awards for her amazing achievements:

• 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: 2021, 2024

See also

In Spanish: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone para niños