“I drive by the Coliseum at times and imagine what it is going to look like during the Olympics.” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s mental picture is ready. All that is needed to do now is wait. With the LA Olympics 2028 coming to the hurdler’s ‘backyard’ in Los Angeles, she’s already revved up, waiting, imagining that big moment. But is she staying back on the track till then? Maybe. Maybe not. In which case, what will her future look like? Will she be embracing a new passion? We finally have the answers.
We’re in the thick of the 2025 indoor season right now and Grand Slam Track is coming to Kingston soon. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s appearance is confirmed and so is some rigorous track action. But ahead of that, in March 2025 Sydney sat down with Michael Johnson (MJ) at the Upfront Summit. That’s where the legend took his shot and popped the big question. What does Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone see herself doing after her career is over? A door closed but plenty waiting to be opened, which one does she knock on first?
Well, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s answer to MJ at the Summit gave valuable insights into her future plans. She confessed, “I mean there’s a lot of things I think that come to mind. Um, obviously I would love to be a mom. I would love to uh raise a family with my husband who’s studying to be a pastor.” Clearly, once she’s done with the sport for good, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who got married to Andre Levrone Jr. in 2022 will surely be looking to take big steps in her married life. She’d presented glimpses of the same in her book, Far Beyond Gold too. When the time is ripe, she’ll be looking to embrace motherhood.
Similarly, in her personal life, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will make time for things that help her make an impact. Driven by her own experiences, she told MJ, “I would love to be involved in the lives of young girls. I think that teenage years for me were a very rough time even just around that Rio, going to the Olympics. I think it’s a a very important time in a young girl’s life.” Having navigated problems in her own life has inspired Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to use her experiences and wisdom and pour it into young girls, via mediums like mentorship, coaching, etc. She believes this can also be a foundation for competitive coaching in the future.
Well, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone may not have an exact timeline chalked out. Also when exactly is this big retirement due in time? Well, that’s unknown too. We don’t even know if she’s staying around for LA or not. Back in 2024, when asked about her future plans in the sport, particularly with respect to the LA Olympics, the 3x Olympian had kept things unrevealed. “I mean, I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know what’s in the cards for me….”
But Sydney knows that she has to grab opportunities going forward and use her natural gifts to the best of her potential. After all, she’s had truly tough teenage years herself and she wouldn’t want others to go through the same.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s teenage struggles
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone went through great turmoil in 2016, the year she became the youngest track and field athlete from America to reach the Rio Olympics. She burdened herself with great pressure and yearned for the life of a normal teenager. “Despite my dad’s easygoing attitude before the Olympic trials, I put enough pressure on myself for the both of us.”
Yes, on one hand, Sydney’s friends were planning summer vacations. On the other hand, she dabbled at multiple things at a time: training, travel, sleepless nights, etc.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone did go to track every day, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was burnt out. She wanted to spend time as a normal teenager: watch movies and munch food. And now, keeping these experiences in mind, she wishes to spend time coaching, and mentoring girls after she’s wrapped up her sporting career. What do you think of this? Let us know below!
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