As a track and field athlete, there are few accolades Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has yet to claim. From the World Championships to the Olympic Games, the 400m hurdles specialist’s achievements shine brightly on every stage. However, the 25-year-old’s extraordinary feats are also a testament to the brilliant minds who have guided her along the way. Yet, at times, even those coaches have managed to turn McLaughlin’s week into a living nightmare.
Despite being an incredible athlete , McLaughlin-Levrone has never competed collegiately. Although she spent one year with the Kentucky Wildcats, the New Jersey native isn’t a particularly memorable name within the NCAA circuit. That might strike many fans as odd, considering the track powerhouse Sydney is today. However, Sydney suggests there may have been a reason she wasn’t able to reach her full potential during her time in Lexington.
In her book, Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith, the 4x Olympic gold medalist recalled why training in college wasn’t the best experience. Training under her then-coach Edrick Floreal was a tough struggle, especially with the high expectations he set for the athletes. “With Coach Flo, there were no days off,” Sydney remembers how she had to wake up early in the morning almost every day of the week to keep up with Floreal’s tightly packed schedule.
Revealing how Mondays were jam-packed for everyone, Sydney went on to note how the rest of the week was no better. However, it wasn’t like it was only the training regime McLaughlin-Levrone had to deal with. A staunch believer in God, she often wanted to spend Sunday off the track and pursue her spiritual needs but couldn’t. “I wish I’d pushed back, insisted on going to church instead of Sunday treatment. I can’t help but wonder what the response would have been,” the Diamond League gold medalist reiterates about how Floreal maintained a hard stance on keeping the athletes under immense pressure.
But there were even more things that caught the Olympian off-guard. Having a coach who pried into her private life in the name of trying to keep her from distractions was something she thought was improper. “I gave everything I had to the sport, to my peers, and to myself. Yet I was miserable. My high hopes of coming to a place where I thought I would flourish quickly turned into a nightmare,” she said further, underscoring how things got frustrating for her. Thankfully, she soon found someone to help her spread her wings and reach the heights she was destined to.
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