Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opened up about facing top competitors during her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games. She shared how intimidating her first race felt while lining up alongside Jamaica’s Ristananna Tracey (now Ristananna Bailey-Cole) and the Czech Republic’s Zuzana Hejnová in her heat.
Both athletes were prominent names in the 400m hurdles. Hejnová was a two-time world champion and the 2012 Olympic silver medalist, while Bailey-Cole, although not a global medalist at the time, was still considered a worthy opponent, considering Jamaica’s dominance in track and field.
In her memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, published in January 2024, McLaughlin-Levrone recalled how daunting it was to compete against such experienced athletes at the Rio Olympics. She admitted that she felt that she had no chance of advancing to the next round. She stated:
“Zuzana Hejnová from the Czech Republic was the most accomplished runner in my heat. I had watched her in previous years on TV in awe. I was also matched up against Ristananna Bailey-Cole, one of Jamaica’s fastest sprinters. Jamaica may be a tiny island nation, but in the world of track-and-field, it’s a heavyweight, consistently producing some of the fastest men and women ever to compete.”
“Professionals like Zuzana and Ristananna had been preparing for this week every day since the end of the 2012 Olympics… I genuinely thought I had no chance.”
However, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shared how she overcame her fears by recalling her father’s advice that there were no expectations on her and once the race began, her competitive instinct took over. The American made it to the semi-finals in her first Olympics as one of the next six fastest qualifiers besides the top three from each of the six heats who advanced directly.
Although her journey in her first Olympics ended as a semi-finalist, McLaughlin-Levrone has now become the most dominant athlete in her discipline as a world record holder and an overall four-time Olympic gold medalist.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on what gives her an edge over the competition
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflected on what gives her an advantage over her competitors. In a February 2025 released interview with Tiara Williams, the Grand Slam Track podcast interviewer, McLaughlin-Levrone spoke about what set her apart, stating (0:51 onwards):
“I really feel like I’m very versatile. I can do a plethora of events from the sprinting to the 400 to the hurdles to the short hurdles like long jump. It’s like the hep without the hep, you know. I really feel like one of my strengths is that I am very dynamic…I can run the hurdles, I could run the four, I could run the two, I could run the short hurdles and I could run the one.”
McLaughlin-Levrone shared that she has deep respect for her competitors and doesn’t view rivalries as personal. She added that the interactions between athletes are marked by respect.
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Edited by Abhiruchi Rout
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