You know you’re at the top of your game when you beat your own world record. On Thursday, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone did exactly that as she finished the women’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.37 seconds at the Paris Olympics.
The 25-year-old track and field star outraced her Team USA teammate Anna Cockrell and Femke Bol of the Netherlands. (Cockrell and Femke Bol earned silver and bronze medals, respectively.)
As Blavity reported, McLaughlin-Levrone’s time was 50.65 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials back in June.
“It’s amazing to see our sport continue to grow, for people to want to watch the 400m hurdles, it’s amazing,” McLaughlin-Levrone said in an interview with BBC the day before the 400-meter hurdles.
In 2021, McLaughlin-Levrone earned a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the 400-meter hurdle. Coached by Bobby Kersee, McLaughlin-Levrone honed her skills by racing 100 meters and 60 meters indoors, according to the Associated Press. What’s more, she was just 17 years old when she competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The New Jersey native attended the University of Kentucky and is married to former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr. McLaughlin-Levrone celebrated her 25th birthday on Wednesday, and now she’s got another reason to keep the festivities going.
“My whole family’s here,” she told BBC. “We’re going to celebrate, we’re going to enjoy this time and get ready for the relay too.”
Later this week, McLaughlin-Levrone is set to run in the 4x400m relay, which means there’s a good chance she can take home her third Olympic gold.
