Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone got herself a nice belated birthday: Another Olympic gold medal for the women’s 400m hurdles.
The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist broke her own world record by finishing Thursday’s race in 50.37 seconds at the Paris Olympics.
The three-time Olympic medalist was greeted by her husband of two years, former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr., and her sister-in-law, who handed her a golden crown.
The track star with the American flag draped over shoulders walked along the track while wearing the tiara.
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McLaughlin-Levrone said she would not have been able to train for the Paris Olympics without the support from her husband.
“He is my rock,” the world record-holder said about her husband. “He's my biggest supporter, my biggest help. He was a professional athlete so he understands so much of it.”
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While McLaughlin-Levrone makes hurdle races look easy by easily surpassing her competitors on the track, the athlete says, when she’s off the track, she tries to live a normal life as much as possible by reading, eating, cooking, baking and watching movies.
“I love to just also unwind and take a step away from the track as well. That's really important to you,” she said.
Another source of inspiration is her christian faith as she attends Grace Community Church in Los Angeles.
“My identity is found in Christ and so everything else flows from that,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “Being able to have a firm foundation in my faith allows me to run freely in the race that God has set out for me.”
Whether it’s a supportive husband or religion, she encourages future Olympians to find joy in their sport, saying results can change any time.
“I always want to encourage people, especially younger athletes, to love what they do, but to find their identity in something more solid - something more firm that lasts,” she said.
