Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on writing her new book: "Authenticity is really what connects with people”

At just 24 years old, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has many titles: Olympic gold medalist, world record holder, wife. Now, she can add “author” to the list. It wasn’t something she set out to do, but when approached, McLaughlin-Levrone realised she did want to share her story.

“At first, I was a little unsure how much I could give in my 22 years of life at the time, but I just truly felt like it was an opportunity to just share my story of how I came to Christ and, you know, hopefully encourage someone through that journey. I'm sure when I look back in a few years, I'll be able to just see the growth,” McLaughlin-Levrone said to Olympics.com.

Her book, “Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith,” will be released 30 Jan. It covers McLaughlin-Levrone's life. She writes about what first got her into running hurdles, her quick ascent in the sport, and what it took for her to break the 400m hurdles world record. She doesn’t shy away from the tough times in her life, talking about her struggles with anxiety at the Rio 2016 Olympics, rejection from an ex-boyfriend, and how she was mistreated by her peers in high school.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: 'We all have issues we go through and battles that we're facing'

“I wanted to intentionally be very honest, and I think that's what people relate to most, is the vulnerability and the authenticity. And I wanted to do it for the young person out there who maybe feels like they don't have anyone to relate to in a certain way of just like going through everyday struggles,” she said.

“And when you see athletes, entertainers, performers, it's hard to relate to them at times. But I want people to know that now we all struggle. We all have issues that we go through and battles that we're facing. And, you know, as a young girl, as a young woman, now, there are still things that you have to work through. And I think that authenticity is really what connects with people.”

In writing the book, McLaughlin-Levrone found she had to revisit both good and bad times in her life. She found even revisiting the tougher times helped her realize how much she has grown.

“Being able to go back and remember those moments was honestly partially like, you know, I was back in those moments. Physically, it took me back to that time, but it was also kind of healing. Being able to look back and see why some of those hard times had to happen and being thankful for them, and what they taught me and how they've guided me to where I am now. So it was a very overall just whole circle process of seeing how I started to get to there.”

How writing helped Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone grow as a person

Even prolific novelists find that writing a book isn’t easy. When you add in McLaughlin-Levrone's busy schedule of training and competing, working on the book was a new kind of challenge for her as it forced her to take a closer look at her life.

“I think I learned just how much in my life, whether it's good times or bad times, I always made it about me. And I think it can be very tricky to where even when you think very negatively about yourself, we can think of that as being humble or lowly of ourselves, but it's still centered around us. And I think it's been very humbling in writing the book, just realizing even areas in my life today that I haven't fully surrendered to God. And that's been really cool to just, you know, still see things to improve upon, which is as an athlete, something I'm always trying to do, but also as a person. That's what I'm trying to do,” she said.

McLaughlin-Levrone's biggest plans for 2024 include the Paris Olympics. She already has gold medals in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400 relay, both won in 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Games. But after Paris? She could see herself returning to writing.

“I love writing poetry. I do love to write. I think it's a little scary writing about yourself, but I think there are definitely avenues that have opened up because of this that I do love just sharing my thoughts with people. And so I think they resonate a lot just in terms of, you know, the inward emotions that we all feel. And so I definitely think there's a possibility that in the future there could be more writing.”