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Olympian Knows Where to Find Her Value, and It’s Not in Gold Medals

Photo from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Instagram

Olympian Knows Where to Find Her Value, and It’s Not in Gold Medals

By Movieguide® Contributor

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is sharing what she would tell her 17-year-old self at her first Olympics.

“Your value is not based in whether you win or lose this race,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “You are loved before and after. You are secure in Christ. You get to do what you love and glorify God on that stage.”

That’s the track star’s mentality now, and it enabled her to win two gold medals and set a new world record in Paris at the 2024 Olympics.

Aside from her track and field career, McLaughlin-Levrone has goals that are way bigger than just winning gold medals.

“I love track and field. I’m going to continue to do it the best I can,” the world record holder said. “Like Girls on the Run, I love encouraging the next generation and pouring into them. I’m excited to be an ambassador in every way I can…And I’m just looking forward to all that God has for me.”

Girls on the Run is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.”

“As the world has changed, the needs of girls and the pressures they face have intensified. Numerous reports have shown the decline in girls’ mental health and physical activity levels over the last decade. Girls on the Run helps to address these mental and physical health concerns. Now more than ever, girls need the skills to build their confidence, develop meaningful relationships, and discover the joy of movement,” the website description reads.

Thanks to her track accomplishments, McLaughlin-Levrone was also recently inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame.

“Once a wildcat, always a wildcat,” she wrote on her social media. “Beyond grateful to have been inducted into the 2024 class of the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame. Definitely bled blue while I was here, so much growth and adversity that led me to where I am now. Thank you to the UK fan base for always showing such love and treating me like family. Much love! Go cats.”

Movieguide® previously reported on McLaughlin-Levrone:

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finally wrapped up her 2024 competition season following her first-place 400m win in Belgium.

“McLaughlin-Levrone was unable to eclipse her personal best of 22.07, but she did manage to win in 22.40 and gain invaluable experience for next season,” the Olympics reported of her win at the Diamond League Final. She planned to give her “best” during the race and “end my season in beauty.”

“I am always striving for more but, at the end of the day, I’m walking away happy and healthy,” she told the media after the race. “With this season we did, I really can’t complain. Plus, you have to leave something for the future.”

As the season concludes, McLaughlin-Levrone is grateful for how far God’s brought her.

“After last year, having to sit out due to injury, the mental build back to the world stage felt like a mountain of a climb,” she wrote on Instagram. “Yet as I reflect on the year, I’m so thankful for the ways in which God challenged every part of me to rely solely upon Him in some of the most grueling moments.