When life gave Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone lemons, she sought expert help to make lemonades. The queen of the 400 mH category, McLaughlin-Levrone, once had to go through a rough phase. She lost in Doha 2020 and going up against her then arch-rival Dalilah Muhammad, McLaughlin-Levrone failed to win back-to-back races. And her woes did not end there.
While she could comfortably get to her first hurdle in twenty-two steps, McLaughlin-Levrone was shocked to find out that she needed twenty-three instead. Now, one additional step might not seem that big of a deal. But it is enough to snatch valuable seconds from an athlete’s timing.
Thus, with questions surrounding her mind, McLaughlin-Levrone knew that she had to call for help. And she turned to the most prolific and incredible coach the track and field realm had ever seen. The 4x Olympic gold medalist hired Bob Kersee as her special mentor. Yes, the same Bob Kersee who coached legendary Florence Griffith Joyner. Looking back at her time with ‘Bobby’ McLaughlin-Levrone, she was stunned at how effortlessly Kersee solved her technical issues.
In her book “Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith,” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said, “As I lined up on the blocks, Bobby started describing what my first five steps should feel like: ‘Keep your head down. Drive out for the first five steps like you’re pulling a sled. When you come up, keep your stride open moving into the hurdle.’” And bam! Just like that, McLaughlin-Levrone was back to running twenty-two steps once again. Kersee joined McLaughlin-Levrone and her coach twice a week to fine-tune the technical nitty-gritty of the current 400mH champion.
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However, the thoughts of falling behind in the fast-paced world of track and field still haunted the champion. Once when McLaughlin-Levrone pulled herself to the side of the track, sobbing. And quite unexpectedly, Kersee noticed her. He came up to her and inquired about her well-being.
Sensing her hesitation to open up, Kersee gifted her a wheel of emotion that helped McLaughlin-Levrone to understand what exactly was her state of mind. While coach Joanna’s strength and conditioning training did help McLaughlin-Levrone, it was Kersee who transformed her into a champion.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s journey to the top of track and field hierarchy
Sydney McLaughlin Levrone did not look back once she came under coach Bobby’s radar. Shrugging off her loss at Doha, McLaughlin-Levrone made a swift turnaround in the Tokyo Olympics. Creating a new world record, McLaughlin-Levrone took gold medals in both the 400mH and the 4x400m relays. And her ascension to the top was just getting started. And when the 2022 World Championships rolled in at Eugene, McLaughlin-Levrone once again took all the gold.
