Two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone isn’t resting on her laurels after a history-making 2025 season. In a new NBC Sports interview, the 26-year-old American superstar reaffirmed her belief that track and field is unrivaled in sport and revealed an ambitious plan to make the world fall in love with it year-round.
“I truly believe track and field is the best sport in the world,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “It’s raw talent, pure speed, strength, and heart all on display with no gimmicks. My mission is to help more people, especially kids, see that and get as obsessed with it as I am.”
Still riding the high of defending her Paris Olympic title and twice lowering her own world record to an astonishing 50.37 seconds in 2025, the New Balance athlete says she’s “all in” on growing the sport’s popularity beyond the Olympic quadrennial spike.
To that end, she teased several high-profile projects in the works: a Netflix collaboration, major fashion partnerships, nationwide youth clinics, and her highly anticipated debut in Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league. The goal, she says, is simple: make track “cool again” 365 days a year.
McLaughlin-Levrone also hinted at expanding her competitive portfolio in 2026, with the open 400m and possibly relays on the World Championships in Tokyo firmly in her sights. “I want to inspire the next generation the same way Flo-Jo and Allyson Felix inspired me,” she said.
With her combination of once-in-a-generation talent, marketability, and genuine passion for the sport, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone appears determined to lead track and field into its brightest era yet.
