‘Olympic Dreams Were Over’: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Confessed After Being Done with Tokyo’s Woes
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone almost got her Tokyo dreams over with the impending COVID threat. Back in 2020, the entire world was wrapped in an envelope of fear and despair with the COVID-19 virus wreaking havoc.
As a result, almost every major event was either canceled or postponed to a later date. Similarly, the Tokyo Olympics were also pushed to 2021. Yet the athletes could not escape the bloodred eyes of the deadly virus.
And this was exactly what made Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone frustrated to the core. Sharing a harrowing story, the track and field icon recently opened up on the Amazon documentary ‘Beyond Gold Running Faith’. Recalling her time in Tokyo, McLaughin-Levrone stated that she was immediately asked to serve quarantine as one of her teammates was diagnosed with COVID-19.
As the athlete was in the same hall in the village with McLaughlin-Levrone, she was considered a close contact.
Thankfully, the track queen had her own private room that somewhat ensured her safety. However, on the contrary, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had the risk of getting infected by using the common passages like the hallways and the bathroom.
Expressing her fear of getting her Olympic dreams crushed, McLaughlin-Levrone stated, “Each day, we endured multiple rounds of testing, knowing that if we got a positive, our Olympic dreams were over. I became hyperaware of my body.
Am I showing any symptoms? Am I feeling tired, congested, or lightheaded?”
Interestingly, McLaughlin-Levrone had some doubts cast over her chances in Paris. This was due to the meteoric rise of Dutch athlete, Femke Bol. But once the showtime came, McLaughlin-Levrone proved who the real queen was.
She not only won two more Olympic golds but also went on to obliterate the world and the Olympic record. Running a time of 50.37s, McLaughlin-Levrone established a new 400m hurdles record, cementing her position as a GOAT in the track and field realm.
