The 2025 ESPY nominations have generated no shortage of anticipation, but for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the honor has triggered something deeper than competitive excitement. As she prepares for the award ceremony alongside fellow elite athletes Gabby Thomas, Simone Biles, and A’ja Wilson, a moment from nearly a decade ago has quietly returned to public memory.
One that captured the beginning of McLaughlin-Levrone’s ascent in the sport and exposed her genuine admiration for those who came before her. Long before the medals and headlines, she stood on the receiving end of a gesture that continues to shape how fans perceive her today.
The story, now resurfacing through excerpts from McLaughlin-Levrone’s memoir Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, recalls her first major recognition after the 2016 Rio Olympics. A ceremony that was supposed to be routine but ended in a transformative encounter. At the ESPYs that year, she was named Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year, and what followed could have easily come from a scripted coming-of-age film. As she walked off the track after drills and media duties, a quiet voice stopped her in her tracks: “Hey, Sydney.” That greeting came from none other than Allyson Felix, the woman McLaughlin-Levrone had idolized since childhood. Felix stood before her, trophy in hand, embodying the same excellence and grace that McLaughlin-Levrone had long admired from afar.
“I don’t remember what I said, if anything,” McLaughlin-Levrone wrote. “It was the first time I’d ever met Allyson. I think I cried a little. Smiled a lot. It was a surreal moment,” she added. In recounting the exchange, she did not embellish it with dramatic adjectives or bold declarations. The moment’s power lay in its simplicity. An aspiring athlete, just seventeen, stunned into silence in front of the figure who had inspired her pursuit of track. In that scene, fans see the root of a career built not only on talent but on reverence for the sport’s lineage. For many, especially those rediscovering this episode now, it reframes McLaughlin-Levrone’s presence at the 2025 ESPYs not just as a nominee, but as someone who has walked the full arc of inspiration and now represents it for others.
Recent developments in her athletic career only deepen the emotional weight of this reflection. In April, McLaughlin-Levrone won both the 400m hurdles and 400m flat at the Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston, Jamaica. An outing that earned her a substantial prize bonus and set the tone for the year. In June, she made a rare appearance in the 100m dash in Philadelphia, finishing second in 11.21 seconds. The diversity of her events and her success across them suggest an athlete not content with mastering one domain, but determined to evolve. On Instagram, she shared her gratitude for the ESPY nomination, writing, “Nominated for an ESPY proud of all the faith + hard work being recognized! You guys can vote for me here! Thanks all!”
Yet, what seems to resonate with many this year isn’t just the breadth of her athletic résumé. It is her manner. Collected, principled, aware of the significance of each stage she occupies. The Felix moment, humble as it may seem, reflects a foundation of admiration and discipline that has never left her. In today’s sports culture, where visibility often overshadows memory, McLaughlin-Levrone’s recollection offers a different tone. One grounded in the continuity between who she was then and who she has become.
As July 16 approaches, the outcome of the award will command attention. However, it is perhaps this quieter, more personal narrative that lingers. The memory of a young athlete overwhelmed by an encounter with a hero has returned at a time when she, too, stands as a symbol for the next generation. That symmetry. Past meeting present. May be her most compelling legacy yet. Meanwhile, despite all the accolades coming in, McLaughlin-Levrone is now looking to continue chasing greatness. Her next stop? Eugene.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to return to Eugene with unfinished business
The weight of legacy seldom rests lightly, yet Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone approaches it with an air of poised inevitability. When she steps onto the track in Eugene on 5 July, it will not be in pursuit of validation, but of refinement, a sharpening of one of the sport’s most formidable weapons. The Prefontaine Classic may be a new addition to her schedule, but the venue is anything but unfamiliar. McLaughlin-Levrone has rewritten history in Eugene more than once, and she returns now not to revisit those moments, but to carve another.
This race will mark her third over 400 meters this season, following a 49.69 in Miami and sitting alongside a personal best of 48.74, recorded last year, also in Eugene. Her choice to race the flat quarter, rather than the hurdles, reflects a deliberate calibration rather than diversion. The hurdles world record-holder continues to tighten every cog in her machinery, revealing nothing and suggesting everything. She has previously called the Prefontaine Classic a meeting that “holds a special place in the heart of track and field,” and her presence there is less a nod to tradition than a signal of intention.
Though the 400m does not count towards the Diamond League standings in Eugene this year, its significance lies elsewhere. For McLaughlin-Levrone, this is a controlled burn, a race that allows for strategic exposure without surrendering anything essential. “I’m looking forward to competing against an incredible field of athletes,” she said, careful to acknowledge the company, even as all eyes will be trained on her. When she races in Eugene, it is never simply to participate. It is to assess, to challenge. And when the conditions permit, to dominate.
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