Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Pre-Race Routine: ‘We Pray Together’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone revealed that she prays with her teammates before they run a relay race.
“We kind of all pray together,” she said on Sherri Shepherd’s podcast. “We talk together, and it’s always run for the girl behind you. You have to do your part. Listen, things happen, I’ve had things happen, and I’m just thinking, ‘I want to do this for my team. I want to do this for my country. I’m going to give it everything I have, and we’re going to see what happens from there.'”
“Honestly, when you’re in the race, I call it like a ‘Flow State,’ you’re not thinking. Your body’s just doing what God’s given you a gift to do,” she added. “So, honestly, it’s praying beforehand, ‘God, let your will be done.'”
Shepherd asked McLaughlin-Levrone, “Do you ever feel like you wanted to quit?”
“Absolutely,” she replied without hesitation. “My life was wrapped up in track and field. My identity was in that and that’s the thing that’s always shifting and changing. It’s never certain so there are seasons where you feel like you’re a failure if you fail. I think that’s why my faith and coming to Christ is so huge because I’m in an identity that is rooted in security and salvation and that doesn’t change. So, whether I win or I lose a race, I’m still good.”
The athlete dives into her story in her new book “Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith.”
“I am so beyond grateful for the opportunity to share my story and testimony with the world. For majority of my life I had an unhealthy relationship with fear. It controlled everything, until God’s grace granted me true and lasting freedom by way of Jesus Christ, and my prayer is that this book will encourage readers to seek the one who grants lasting freedom resulting in an inheritance that is Far Beyond Gold!” she wrote on Instagram.
While it was just released late last month, her story is already impacting fans.
“I just gifted my 17-year-old with a signed copy of your book and she cried. She is about to begin her last season of high school track and she needs all the encouragement she can get, which is I am certain she will get from your book. As she is filling out recruit questionnaires, when asked who her two most influential people are she answers: Jesus and Syd. Thank you for being a role model,” one follower wrote.
“I just finished the book and I just have to say thank you!!! I felt like I was reading your journal sometimes. You have a way of storytelling that made me feel like I was there with you and shared the emotions. When you found Christ I seriously felt a shift in myself when reading how Christ changed you. I’m so incredibly inspired and I’m so proud of you. Thanks for being so open. Also I’m on my way to go get a study bible and watch inside out,” another follower commented.
Movieguide® previously reported on McLaughlin-Levrone:
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone just released her new book, “Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith,” on Jan. 30.
She joined the TODAY show to discuss the book and share why she isn’t afraid to share the Gospel.
“We’re called as Christians to share the Gospel,” she said after being asked why she openly talks about her faith. “For me, fear was such a huge part of my life. It consumed everything. Who I was and hindered me from what God called me to. And He was gracious and set me free from that. Being able to share my story helps people seek Him and have an inheritance far beyond gold.”
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