Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Breaks Own World Record to Win Olympic Gold
U.S. track and field star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, once again breaking her own world record, finishing the race in just 50.37 seconds.
This was the sixth time the 25-year-old American lowered the world record while winning a race.
In the Paris final, she led the race heading into the corner before escalating even further down the home stretch to win by a wide margin, winning the race by 1.50 seconds. American teammate Anna Cockrell won the silver.
After her victory, Sydney said "Thank you, God" and then talked more about her faith in the press conference.
"I credit all that I do to God. He's given me a gift, He's given me a drive; I just want to improve upon myself, and I have a platform and I want to use it to glorify Him," she said. "And so whenever I step on the track, it's always the prayer of 'God, let me be the vessel in which You're glorified, whatever the result is. How I conduct myself, how I carry myself, not just how I perform, and so, it's just freedom in knowing that regardless of what happens, He's going to get the praise through me, and yeah, that's why I do what I do."
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Sydney has been outspoken about her faith in Jesus Christ, talking to CBN over the years about her faith journey.
She told CBN she battles with issues like perfectionism and anxiety. After losing the world championships in Doha, Qatar in 2019, she cried out to God in a new way in her life.
She remembers praying, "'God, I need you. There’s no way I'm going to heal from all of this unless it's with you.’ And so during COVID, that was when I truly started seeking Him. He was very gracious during that time to reveal Himself to me. And it was reading Colossians 3 that flipped a switch for me in terms of my thinking and just kind of how I saw everything. It just made the whole gospel make sense and I can't tell you what it was about it, but the lens in which I viewed life had truly switched; and understanding that, in and of myself, I have nothing to offer God. But it is just the righteousness of Jesus covering my life based upon my faith that is presentable before Him."
WATCH: Olympic Medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone On Running Her Race with Joy
