Few sports stars have shot to fame as quickly as Sydney McLaughlin.
The Olympic runner first captured the nation’s attention in 2016 at the Rio Olympics.
Since making history at the Rio Olympics, McLaughlin has become one of the country’s biggest track stars.
After graduating from high school, she’s turned her focus entirely to running.
Now, she lives in Los Angeles where she trains with her coach.
Let’s hope she can repeat or even improve upon her time in Tokyo.
Interested in learning more about this sprinting superstar?
Here is the untold truth of Sydney McLaughlin.
Her father, Willie, made it to the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984 as a 400- meter runner.
Sydney’s parents encouraged her and her three siblings to get into track and field from an early age.
“We got them started when they were around 8 years old,” Willie toldNJ.com.
You could see right away that they all had talent."
Both Sydney and Taylor proved to be excellent athletes from an early age.
Taylor went on to run at theUniversity of Michigan.
It sounds like track and field literally runs in the McLaughlin family’s genes.
As she toldThe Guardian, when McLaughlin first made Team USA, it felt surreal.
“I was like, ‘This is not real life,'” she recalled.
McLaughlin quickly earned the nickname “Syd the Kid” in Rio.
“It was a whirlwind of an experience,” she toldPeople.
Sydney McLaughlin is in a relationship with this former NFL star
Love a good power couple?
Since then, the star has posted numerous Instagramstorieswith McLaughlin, often calling her his “sunflower.”
By the looks of things, this couple could not be any better suited or any cuter!
Coming home from Rio without a medal wasn’t easy for McLaughlin.
The pressure and attention are a lot for a teen to handle.
In fact, McLaughlin is not the only Olympian who’sexperienced bullyingin the past.
It’s easy to see why she began to resent running.
Eventually, McLaughlin used her experience to help others.
For the 2020 Olympics, McLaughlin joined forces with designer watch brand TAG Heuer.
McLaughlin has also joined forces with the sportswear brand New Balance.
“They’ve been so gracious and so loving ever since then,” she said.
Sydney McLaughlin is a devout Christian
Sydney McLaughlin isn’t shy about discussing her Christian faith.
McLaughlin is also vocal about her faith on social media.
In herpostfollowing her record-breaking race, she wrote, “Jesus has given me everything.”
It means taking on a new right-hand man (or woman) and completely transforming the training plan.
Kersee, asL’Officielreported, was also a 400-meter hurdler back in the day.
By the looks of things, the new coach has been the perfect fit for McLaughlin.
In 2021, few American runners made as many headlines as Sydney McLaughlin.
In an interview with NBC after the race, she couldn’t even believe what she had done.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” she said.
In fact, anyone who saw her race as a child knew that she was special.
“There was no form whatsoever,” her high school coach Mike McCabe toldBleacher Report.
Nevertheless, she always won.
Her first-ever time was 1:01.4, which broke every school record.
Just like that, she solidified her place in history as a child prodigy.
It’s clear that McLaughlin was destined to be a legendary hurdler.
She won her first Olympic medal in2004when she was just 18 years old.
In another interview from 2018 forThePostGame, McLaughlin said that Felix was her role model.
Now, McLaughlin and her idol actually train together.
They even share the same coach,Bob Kersee, so McLaughlin really can learn from Felix every day.
For Sydney McLaughlin, every day is carefully structured in the run up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
After two hours of practice, she’ll have a snack before heading to the weight room.
“I lift for around an hour to an hour and a half,” she told People.
That is one intense schedule!
In a 2019 interview withPopSugar, McLaughlin opened up about another pre-race ritual that she can’t do without.
Apparently, she needs to eat gummy bears the day before every race.
“It’s just …
I enjoy them,” she said simply.
In a 2021 YouTubevideo, the track star revealed all of her favorite foods to eat while training.
In an interview forESPN, McLaughlin shared another go-to recipe: buffalo chicken pizza on pita bread.
Made with peppers, spinach, and cream cheese, this is another healthy take on comfort food.
NewsIn 2016, “I’m the most unhealthy eater there is.
Hey, whatever works.
“Look at what’s in front of you, because everyone’s journeys are different.”
It seems that McLaughlin has fully embraced this philosophy when it comes to her own career.
“I make a run at be better each year than I was the last,” she said.
