Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
USA
Athletics
Overall Ranks
#12 among American Olympians
#9 among Track & Field Athletes
#7 among American Track & Field Athletes
#4 among Female American Olympians
#3 among Female Track & Field Athletes
#2 among Female American Track & Field Athletes
Olympic Results
2020
400m Hurdles - Gold
4x400m Relay - Gold
2024
400m Hurdles - Gold
4x400m Relay - Gold
Total
Events - 5
Gold - 4
Sydney Michelle McLaughlin was born on August 7, 1999 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, into a family of track stars. Her father was a 3-time All-American and competed at the Olympic trials in 1984, and her mother ran the 800m in 2:12 in high school, so it was no surprise that she started running at an early age, and excelling at it.
When she was 15, she won the 400m Hurdles at the World Youth Championships, then the next year took third place in the US Olympic Trials, earning her a spot on the team at age 16, the youngest American track Olympian in more than 30 years. Her first Olympic experience ended with a 5th place finish in her semifinal heat, but there was a lot more to come.
In 2019, she came in 2nd at the World Championships, just 0.07 seconds behind defending gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad (#62), and in 2021, she not only beat her at the US Olympic Trials, she broke her world record as well, lowering it to 51.9 seconds, making her the first woman ever to break 52 seconds.
The two would face off again a couple months later at the Tokyo Olympics, where both easily advanced to the final. In that race, Muhammad took the early lead, and was a step ahead of McLaughlin at the 8th hurdle, but McLaughlin caught up by the final hurdle, then had a stronger finishing kick to beat her rival for gold, while also lowering the world record again, this time to 51.46 seconds.
She also ran in the 4x400m relay later that week, with a powerhouse team expected to dominate. She ran the first leg in 50.2 seconds, handing off to Allyson Felix with a tiny lead over Poland. Felix, Muhammad, and Athing Mu (#85), stretched the lead throughout the rest of the race, and by the end, the Americans had won by 3.68 seconds.
In 2022, she won her first World Championship gold medal, and broke her own world record again, setting it down to 50.68 seconds, making her the first to ever break 51 seconds as well. She injured her knee shortly before the 2023 World Championships, and was unable to defend the title, but she was healthy before the 2024 Olympic Trials, where she broke the record again, this time by just 0.03 seconds.
In Paris, she was the clear favorite to win the 400m hurdles again. She reached the final easily, then after a brief early challenge from Femke Bol of the Netherlands, she pulled away before the halfway point, and came across the finish line 1.5 seconds ahead of anyone else, and setting a new world record for the 6th time in just over 3 years.
She also competed again in the 4x400m relay, where they were again favored. She took the second leg, and was given a lead of 0.77 seconds when she started, which she expanded to 2.63 seconds by the end of her lap, which was the fastest of the entire competition by almost a full second. The final two runners also ran great times, and the USA won by 4.23 seconds in another dominant showing for gold.
McLaughlin was married in 2024, and now competes under the hyphenated name Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She gave birth to her first child less than 3 months ago, and is naturally taking a break from competing, but she expects to be back on the track next year, aiming for more gold medals in Los Angeles in 2028. Even if she doesn't get there, her performances at the last 2 Olympics have already made her one of the greatest Olympians of all time.
