Unavoidable Dilemma Nearly Forced Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to Take a Step Back in Her Career: ‘Frustrated Me So Much’

Did Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 2019 defeat fuel her legendary comeback, or was it just a bump in the road?

Since the Tokyo Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has never faced a chink in her armor. Rather, her brilliance in the track events has made her someone counted among the legends of the sport. A quick view of her superiority? Since her days in the Land of Rising Sun, the athlete has rewritten the world record book in the women’s 400m hurdles event five times.

Don’t look away. In the women’s 200m sprint, she is in the eighth position on the all-time list. And in the 400m sprint, she is fourth. But guess what? Before the Tokyo Olympics, things had been slightly different for her. How?

In 2019, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had to undergo a serious crisis. Reason? An increased pressure maybe. That came with her loss in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Doha. That may sound unreal, though! Yes, SML had to face a thumping in the women’s 400m hurdles final in the Doha contest under the chilly sky of October 2019.

However, two days later, she returned stronger and helped her 4x400m squad take the women’s relay title. Yet the defeat in the final made her mind agitated. Furthermore, that feeling accompanied her to 2020 as well. However, it converted to a dual mode with the addition of various new faults.

As per the schedule, 2020 was all set to host the Olympics. However, in March, the hosts stated that the event would be postponed because of the pandemic. That decision gave Sydney more time to assemble the mojo needed to propel her to her second Olympics. But she couldn’t find motivation, and there was a potent reason.

In her book, Far Beyond Gold, the Olympian mentioned that reason in length.

There, she explained, “I’m the kind of competitor who can’t ignore a problem. I have a hard time focusing on the positives when there’s a glaring weakness. My inability to figure out the hurdles frustrated me so much.” The loss in Doha surely took a toll on her. But the coaching issue also put her in the hot water. That fact may lead to a further discussion.

In her book, the 25-year-old disclosed, “I wasn’t processing Coach Joanna’s instructions well. Most of her drills were sprints designed to build my speed and power. They’d been effective.” Yet, the inability to catch up with Joanna Hayes’s process complicated the situation for Sydney. She could feel the efficient parts of the drills. But an unnamed issue put a blanket on her, making her meek. That acted as double whammies on the sprinter.

But Sydney couldn’t sit still, doing nothing.

She had to find a way out before the Tokyo Olympics. All she had was almost a year to keep her float among the hopefuls. But a moment of desperation can give birth to several odd imaginations. McLaughlin-Levrone experienced the same critical moment.

In the meantime, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spent a few sleepless nights and discovered a solution. It was about her shifting to the University of Florida camp. She thought of going under coach Flo’s supervision to finish up her training.

But thinking about the decision made Sydney’s inner soul feel out of sync. In the book, she narrated the situation: “I considered doing something I told myself I’d never do: go back to my college program.” But fortunately, she found someone midway who would change her course of life.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone met someone who would term her “female Edwin Moses”

Bobby Kersee once promised Edwin Moses to find someone who could beat him. Now, here’s the fun fact: in his decades-long career, Moses claimed the top spot in 107 straight 400m hurdles finals. He had four world records and a winning streak that lasted more than a decade.

However, the mad scientist Kersee had to find someone who could run over these records. After all, he felt bored seeing Moses taking the crown year after year. In Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Bobby found that ‘someone.’ But what did Sydney find in him?

All along the time, McLaughlin-Levrone had been searching for a helping voice to rectify her technical shortcomings. That urge had already made her change her coach three times in five years before the Tokyo Olympics.

But in the end, in Bobby Kersee, SML discovered a master who could reform her technique. Based on those mutual needs, Sydney and Bobby inked their deal during the pandemic time.

Eventually, Kersee became her fourth coach in the last five years—a record that the veteran mentor had never chased. But the deal took the stage and the rest, as they say, is history.

After 2020, Sydney broke the world record six times and claimed four Olympic titles.

She is now the face of New Balance Running. And in her hometown, she has a track named for her. Aren’t those stunning for someone who once felt hard to find the ground beneath her feet? Make your decision. Remember, in these years she has already gone past Edwin Moses’ feat of nabbing four world records. Above all, the legend once walked to her to congratulate her for her phenomenal records. What could have been a better outcome than this? Tell us.