After going through the tougher early months of pregnancy, dealing with pelvic soreness, round ligament pain, or neck tenderness, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone now steps into the third trimester, where things can get even more demanding. But instead of stepping away from track and field, she continues to hold on to her promise, something she has recently shown through her presence on the track.

Recently, she was seen on the track with a visible baby bump. While not racing against the clock, she was still running, refusing to disconnect from the sport that shaped her. The 26-year-old is expecting her first child, a baby girl, in July 2026. But it raises a question. Why would someone run at this stage?

The answer lies in how she is approaching it. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is keeping her promise, but with care. “Training definitely looks different these days, not as rigorous, but still trying to maintain some sense of normalcy on the track,” McLaughlin-Levrone said in an interview with Business Insider.

She is also still lifting weights, but more slowly. So, yes, her every move is guided by one mantra: the baby first. After all, this all came after four years of marriage to Andre Levrone Jr. on May 6, 2022. And even as she passes through this stage, she has her eyes on the bigger picture.

“My number one goal right now is to deliver my daughter healthy, have a healthy baby in July, and then we’ll start working our way back for the Olympics,” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone said. “But yeah, I think that’s the goal. That’s where my mind is focused, and it’s going to be a journey to get there, but I’m excited to take it one step at a time and see what we can do.”

Even though she aspires to race in Los Angeles, the question remains as to which event she will compete in. Well, the final of the women’s 400m hurdles, in which she is a world record holder and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 2020 and 2024, and the semi-finals of the 400m fall on the same day, making the prospect of competing in both particularly challenging.

But she is walking this path. Interestingly, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone may not be the only mother aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Allyson Felix’s LA 2028 return dream brings a powerful homecoming story

Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field with 11 medals, is also looking toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. A mother of two and now 40, Felix is exploring a return to the track four years after stepping away.

For her, LA28 is not just another Games. It is home, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming,” she said. And in doing so, she’s also breaking the norm, “The world tells women that after 40, we should slow down, be smaller, quieter and satisfied. But this is my love story with LA – the city that raised me…calling me to return to myself in a new way,” she continued. “It’s scary. It’s exciting. The most vulnerable I’ve ever been. And I don’t know how it ends.”

Felix started her career as a 200m runner and later switched to the 400m. Now, with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also competing in the 400m, there is a chance that they will cross paths in Los Angeles. Though Felix’s plan for the next two seasons is still up for grabs, one way back to the Olympic stage is to return to the 4x400m relay, where she has already won four Olympic gold medals. If this is the case, two mothers will be in the same race!