U.S. Hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Admits ‘Terrifying’ Feeling Before Winning 400-Meter Gold

Team USA hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone not only just won her first medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, but she also broke her own world record after finishing the women's 400-meter hurdle final in 50.37 seconds.

The 25-year-old from New Brunswick, New Jersey, bested the silver medalist, fellow USA star Anna Cockrell, by a whopping 1.50 seconds.

Her recent feat eclipsed her previous record of 50.65 seconds, which she achieved during the U.S. Olympic trials back in June, by 0.28 seconds.

After the race, McLaughlin-Levrone sat down with NBC's Mike Tirico to discuss breaking her own record and admitted to a "terrifying" feeling she had down the final stretch of the race as she sprinted to the finish line with a comfortable lead.

"It's a little terrifying," McLaughlin-Levrone said. "You don't know how close anybody is. It's a huge stadium with a lot of fans, so you don't know if they're cheering because somebody is right on your heels."

In the 400-meter hurdles, athletes face 10 hurdles. The first hurdle is 45 meters from the start, with the rest spaced 35 meters apart. After clearing the last hurdle, there's a 40-meter sprint to the finish line, which is where McLaughlin-Levrone experienced her "terrifying" moment.

"But it encourages you to want to run faster. Just run through the line and finish the race strong. It's all you can do every time," the gold medalist finished.

This isn't the first time McLaughlin-Levrone has won Olympic gold. She claimed two gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games—one in the same event and another in the 4x400m relay. She also competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics when she was just 17 but didn't medal, referring to that year as an "experience."

The American hurdler will not participate in this year's 4x400m relay but would accept the challenge if it presents itself, telling the Associated Press , "I'm always here if they need me."

McLaughlin-Levrone attended the University of Kentucky for one year, from 2017 to 2018, before turning pro. In 2016, she became the youngest athlete to make the USA Olympic track team in over three decades.

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