Top Queen of the Hurdles: Sydney McLaughlin Pushes Limits with Power of Belief
If your mind believes you can go further, your body often follows,” says USA’s unstoppable track star.
Sydney McLaughlin is more than just a world-class hurdler — she’s a symbol of excellence, grace, and the limitless power of belief. At just 25 years old, the American track and field sensation has already rewritten history books, broken world records, and redefined what it means to be an elite athlete. And yet, ask her what the secret is to her success, and she’ll tell you it’s not just physical training — it’s mental strength.
“If your mind believes you can go further, your body often follows,” Sydney says with calm confidence. That mindset has carried her through the highest highs and the most grueling challenges of her career.
A prodigy since her teenage years, McLaughlin first caught the world’s attention when she qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics at just 16 years old — becoming the youngest U.S. track and field athlete to make the Olympic team in over four decades. Since then, she has grown into a dominant force in the 400m hurdles, setting and breaking her own world records with a mix of power, speed, and poise that few can match.
Her gold-medal performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic) was not just a victory — it was a statement. Clocking in at an astonishing 51.46 seconds, she obliterated her own world record and set a new standard for excellence in the sport. But for Sydney, that race was as much a mental victory as it was a physical one.
“I had to learn how to trust myself, to believe that I belonged on that stage,” she reflects. “Once I aligned my mindset with my goals, everything started to click.”
Her training regimen is intense, guided by world-renowned coach Bobby Kersee, but it’s Sydney’s inner work — prayer, meditation, and a deep connection to her faith — that she credits as the foundation of her success. “There’s power in peace,” she often says, and that peace shines through in her calm demeanor before races, her focus on the track, and her humility off of it.
McLaughlin’s rise is also a powerful example for young women and girls around the world — especially Black girls — who see in her a representation of excellence that is both powerful and feminine. Crowned by fans as one of the “Top Queens” of track and field, she wears that title with pride, not as a mark of ego but as a tribute to the work, sacrifice, and belief that got her to the top.
And she’s not done yet.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon, McLaughlin is once again pushing boundaries. Whether she sticks with the 400m hurdles or ventures into other events like the flat 400m or even the 100m hurdles, one thing is clear: Sydney McLaughlin is chasing greatness — and redefining it at every turn.
In a world that often fixates on times and medals, Sydney reminds us that the greatest victories often happen within. “The mind is powerful,” she says. “What you feed it, how you train it — that’s what shapes everything else.”
For the Queen of the Hurdles, belief isn’t just a nice idea. It’s the fuel behind every stride, every jump, every record. And as long as her mind believes she can go further, there’s no limit to how far Sydney McLaughlin will go.
