As a dozen reporters jockeyed to speak with Sydney McLaughlin in the media tent at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she took a step back. 

“Unreal, I can’t believe this his happening right now,” she said with a smile. She held flowers and a small American flag, and she wore a bronze medal around her neck.

The rising senior at Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, had reason for happy disbelief. She’d just made some additional last-minute plans for her summer break—she’ll be making a trip to Rio de Jainero, Brazil.

McLaughlin finished third in the 400-meter hurdles in 54.15, breaking a decade-old world junior record. She follows the event’s champion, Dalilah Muhammad, who was dominant in running the fifth-fastest American time ever (52.88), and Ashley Spencer, who was second (54.02).

“It’s a big relief that it is over, everything I have worked hard for has paid off,” McLaughlin said. 

Before the Olympic Trials, McLaughlin had already made waves as the nation’s best high school hurdler. She held both the American junior and high school records in the event. Now, she will be the youngest American track athlete on the Olympic team. She turns 17 on August 7, one week before the track events begin. 

After the race, McLaughlin told reporters she almost pulled out of the meet on the first day because of a “nervous breakdown.” She credited her coaches for calming her down and helping her perform through the qualifying heats.

“I forgot that this is a big meet and with a lot of cameras and a lot of people,” she said. “Sometimes I forget that I am just 16. I don’t get paid for this. I am just here for fun.”

She said she planned to celebrate by eating a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries.

Headshot of Kit Fox
Kit Fox
Special Projects Editor

Kit has been a health, fitness, and running journalist for the past five years. His work has taken him across the country, from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to cover the 2016 Olympic Trials to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine to cover Scott Jurek’s record-breaking Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2015.