Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone is not only a young and gifted athlete who won two gold medals during the latest Olympic Games in Paris, but she is also a devout Christian who finds confidence and self-realization as an elite athlete in her belief.
Her religious conviction, she believes, did not only enhance her sports achievements but also steeled her will and determination and helped her fight through the hardest ordeals, and, in the end, find a greater purpose in life.
Although she showed promise in running from a very young age (particularly in her specialty, the 400-meter hurdles run) and consequently achieved subsequent successes, the young athlete is convinced that her achievements only really took off after she married former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr. in 2017 and truly took God into her heart.
‘The Fast One’
Her parents, who were also renowned athletes, instilled a love for running in all their children, but it was clear early on that Sydney was a unique case.
When she was 14, her father said, “All of our kids are fairly talented, but she (Sydney) is a little special. We saw it coming. It was just a matter of time.” Hence they called her “the fast one.”
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Aside from her outstanding athletic accomplishments, what sets McLaughlin-Levrone apart from many other athletes is that she pursues higher aspirations, namely spiritual redemption, something she is not only open about on social media, but also the focus of her recent autobiography.
In January, her book “Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith,” appeared. It recounts her life journey starting with her entrance to the Olympics at age 16, and being victorious at the world championships and the Olympics at Tokyo.
Looking back on the first years of her career, McLaughlin-Levrone realized that she had put too much stake in winning. “I convinced myself that I was put on this earth to win,” she wrote. “And in order to receive love and respect from others, I had to finish first. If I didn’t, what good was I?”
But her combative zeal did not provide her with the mental stability needed for immutable performance. Sometimes fear and anxiety would kick in.
“You may know that kind of fear: the kind that freezes you, stops you in your tracks, and makes you forget everything you’ve worked for and everything you want. It feels like a curse, and it’s completely out of your control.”
From time to time, her determination wavered. In her book, she recounts her experience during the semi-final of the 400-meter hurdles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“Halfway through the race, I was running well, within striking distance of the final. But at some point […] I suddenly found myself without the need, or even the desire, to win. […] And just like that, I threw the race.”
“It’s something I still think about everyday,” she wrote, “About how fearful I was of the next race, and how I could’ve handled it so differently today.”
She found out the hard way that true triumph comes through conquering oneself, searching inward for one’s own shortcomings and improving the heart and mind. Only then can one attain a true champion’s status. She credits her accomplishments to God.
‘Glory to God’
“I felt like I was running from God for years. That’s when I was like, ‘God, I surrender it to you. I don’t know what this looks like. I don’t know what it means. Just show me what you’re trying to show me,’” she told Today in January.
Like the great artists of old — whose work was both inspired by and dedicated to the Creator, McLaughlin-Levrone’s performance proved greater when she acknowledged her talent as a gift from God.
Renowned composers from the Baroque era, like Johan Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, underpinned their works with the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria” (Only to God, the Glory), suggesting that man is only an instrument of God and that the highest fulfillment man can achieve is to melt together with God again.
In expressing her own devotion, McLaughlin-Levrone quoted a verse from the Bible: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
She explained, “That means being in the word, being in prayer, keeping that in the forefront and allowing that to be what centers my mind and not the outside voices of the world.”
With a deeper commitment to Christianity, McLaughlin-Levrone had to learn how to reconcile between being a fierce competitor and a “meek and gentle kind of Christian I’d read about in the Bible.”
“My life wasn’t about me,” McLaughlin-Levrone realized. “It was about showing the world God’s power, wisdom, kindness, love, and forgiveness.”
“What an honor, a blessing, and a privilege. I never want to take these moments for granted,” McLaughlin-Levrone wrote, referring to winning gold and breaking the world record she previously set herself. “In a week where my faith was tried, my peace wavered, and the weight of the world began to descend, God was beyond gracious.”
Of course, McLaughlin-Levrone is not the only sports idol who has fully embraced her spirituality. Many ther athletes’ notable achievements were inspired by spiritual conviction; including Beatie Deutsch (Jewish), Marwa Bouzayani (Muslim), and Vashti Cunningham (Christian).
“Young athletes now also look to their spirituality for guidance and hope, and I think that is wonderful for them,” said Carl Lewis the renowned nine-times Olympic Gold Medalist as noted by Associated Press. Lewis is a follower of the late Indian Guru Sri Chinmoy whose teachings incorporated the idea that running and spirituality go hand in hand.
Reaching for the True Gold
According to ancient Chinese wisdom, sport is not about training the body; it is training the mind. Athletic sports focused more on strengthening one’s virtue (德 de) than on competition and winning. According to ancient sages, cultivating self-sacrifice, humility, and endurance was the groundwork to pave the way to harmony (和 he) and pure gold (金 jin).
When top athletes manage to accomplish the impossible and remain humble, they show us that with the right attitude and dedication, anything can be achieved. They make excellent role models, because they inspire us to throw off our shadows and bring out the best in ourselves for a meaningful and fulfilling life.
