Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Praises God for Two Olympic Golds
By Movieguide® Contributor
Team USA track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone secured two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she is thanking God.
“What an honor, a blessing, and a privilege. I never want to take these moments for granted. In a week where my faith was tried, my peace wavered, and the weight of the world began to descend, God was beyond gracious,” she posted on Instagram.
“It’s always hard preparing for one moment you may or may not get back,” she continued. “In my mind what kept repeating were the words ‘Trust in Jesus.’ I didn’t know what the outcome would be, but I did know He was who I wanted to lead me through the journey. What an amazing journey it was!
“It never ceases to amaze me how powerful He is to help those who trust in Him overcome the battles within,” she added. “His word is sufficient, His promises hold true, and all the glory belongs to Him. At the end of the day it is FAR beyond gold. Once again, I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to represent my country on the world’s biggest stage. What a blessing.”
McLaughlin-Levrone included Psalm 115:1, which reads, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”
She took first place when she broke the world record for the 400-meter hurdle event with a 50.37.
She earned her second Paris gold for the 4×400 meter relay. McLaughlin-Levrone ran another world record split with a time of 47.71, the “third fastest 4×400 meter split in history.”
These mark the athlete’s third and fourth Olympic golds.
Throughout her athletic success, though, McLaughlin-Levrone keeps her identity rooted in God. Movieguide® reported:
Despite her two Olympic golds and world records, track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finds her value in Christ alone.
“I think it’s something that I feel like every athlete, you know, kind of struggles with,” the track and field athlete said on the “Unfiltered Waters” podcast. “You work your whole life for these moments and to achieve this goal. It’s hard not to be consumed with that and to equate your success or your value as a person with those things. And the balance is so key.”
McLaughlin-Levrone gave an example from this past year as she dealt with a knee injury and several key losses in her career.
“I mean just this past season, I had some injuries, I took some losses, it wasn’t what I was expecting for it to be, and the old Sydney would have been completely crushed and destroyed by any of that, you know,” she admitted. “To the point where there’s been seasons where I just wanted to quit. It’s like why do I even do this? I’m not good at it, but, like you said, the balance of realizing, like, first of all, my value is already fixed and assured in Christ only.
