Last Friday, Sydney McLaughlin broke her own world record for the 400-meter hurdles, completing a 50.68 second run at the World Athletics Championships.
This is the fourth time she has broken the world record in the past two years, the most recent instance being at the U.S championships in June when she finished with a time of 51.41 seconds. Despite these impressive feats, McLaughlin still tells reporters that she “still think[s] that wasn’t even a super clean race.”
McLaughlin was born into a family of athletes, all of whom are runners. Her dad was a semifinalist in the 400m at the 1984 Olympic trails, her brother got silver in 2016 for the 400m hurdles at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships, and her mom was also a runner. Now, as an Olympic gold medalist and 400m hurdle world record holder, McLaughlin has outdone them all.
However even as an Olympic gold medalist and record holder, she has encountered her fair share of prejudice. In an emotional video following the Tokyo Olympics, McLaughlin expresses her frustration through tears. “It blows my mind. People who have been my teammates, who have watched me die every day at practice, believe that I’m standing here today because I have followers. I can’t control who presses the follower button, but I can control what I do on that track, and that’s the thing that doesn’t get respect and it blows my mind.”
The 22-year-old sends a powerful message about mental health, opening up about her negative experience with social media in the since deleted video. In fact, though the American has displayed incredible dedication to her sport, it does not seem as though she is doing it for herself.
Even her high school coach, Mike McCabe has voiced this sentiment. Following the 2016 U.S trials where McLaughlin placed 3rd and qualified for the Rio Olympics, McCabe told reporters that “Running isn’t her life. Running chose her. She just happens to be real good at it.”
Now, after breaking the world record yet again, McLaughlin is asked about her next move. “The sky’s the limit, for sure,” she says. “I need to ask my coach about our next goal. He calls the shots.”
Sources:
– https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/26/the-sydney-project-how-elite-athletics-traps-mclaughlin-but-also-sets-her-free
– https://olympics.com/en/athletes/sydney-mclaughlin
– https://www.essentiallysports.com/tokyo-olympics-athletics-news-its-toxic-sydney-mclaughlin-breaks-down-in-tears-over-lack-of-respect-after-tokyo-olympics-2020/
– https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/07/10/us-olympic-trials-results-sydney-mclaughlin/86925330/
This is the fourth time she has broken the world record in the past two years, the most recent instance being at the U.S championships in June when she finished with a time of 51.41 seconds. Despite these impressive feats, McLaughlin still tells reporters that she “still think[s] that wasn’t even a super clean race.”
McLaughlin was born into a family of athletes, all of whom are runners. Her dad was a semifinalist in the 400m at the 1984 Olympic trails, her brother got silver in 2016 for the 400m hurdles at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships, and her mom was also a runner. Now, as an Olympic gold medalist and 400m hurdle world record holder, McLaughlin has outdone them all.
However even as an Olympic gold medalist and record holder, she has encountered her fair share of prejudice. In an emotional video following the Tokyo Olympics, McLaughlin expresses her frustration through tears. “It blows my mind. People who have been my teammates, who have watched me die every day at practice, believe that I’m standing here today because I have followers. I can’t control who presses the follower button, but I can control what I do on that track, and that’s the thing that doesn’t get respect and it blows my mind.”
The 22-year-old sends a powerful message about mental health, opening up about her negative experience with social media in the since deleted video. In fact, though the American has displayed incredible dedication to her sport, it does not seem as though she is doing it for herself.
Even her high school coach, Mike McCabe has voiced this sentiment. Following the 2016 U.S trials where McLaughlin placed 3rd and qualified for the Rio Olympics, McCabe told reporters that “Running isn’t her life. Running chose her. She just happens to be real good at it.”
Now, after breaking the world record yet again, McLaughlin is asked about her next move. “The sky’s the limit, for sure,” she says. “I need to ask my coach about our next goal. He calls the shots.”
Sources:
– https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/26/the-sydney-project-how-elite-athletics-traps-mclaughlin-but-also-sets-her-free
– https://olympics.com/en/athletes/sydney-mclaughlin
– https://www.essentiallysports.com/tokyo-olympics-athletics-news-its-toxic-sydney-mclaughlin-breaks-down-in-tears-over-lack-of-respect-after-tokyo-olympics-2020/
– https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/07/10/us-olympic-trials-results-sydney-mclaughlin/86925330/
