Just one month after welcoming her daughter, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has already found her way back into the track and field world. The Olympic champion previously said her return would be a “slow progression back” and that she was “not rushing anything” as she looked ahead to the LA 28 Olympics. However, she has now taken her first public step toward a comeback by supporting Team USA’s young athletes competing at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships.

The 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships hold a special place for American track and field, as the event is being held in the United States for the first time under its current U20 name. Before the championship began, Team USA selected Tate Taylor and Natalie Dumas as team captains. To celebrate their selection and motivate the entire U20 team, McLaughlin-Levrone joined several athletes in sharing messages of support for #TeamUSATF before competition began.

On August 5, USATF released a video featuring some of America’s biggest track stars, with McLaughlin-Levrone congratulating Taylor and Dumas. “I am here to first and foremost congratulate Tate and Natalie for being team captains. This is such an honor and an amazing opportunity for you guys,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.

“I know you guys will represent well and be great leaders and encouragers. And to the rest of Team USA, I hope you go out there, show them who you are. Don’t change it up and ultimately prove why Team USA is the best team ever.” McLaughlin-Levrone’s message was part of a larger show of support from Team USA’s biggest names.

Noah Lyles sent his congratulations to Taylor, Dumas and the entire U20 squad. “Congratulations on being the team captains. Congratulations to everybody who made the under 20 team. This is a very special moment,” Lyles said. Grant Holloway also shared his support: “Keep up the good work.”

Katie Moon shared the message, “Just know that you deserve to be there. You deserve this title. I can’t wait to watch. Good luck,” Moon said.

Rai Benjamin encouraged the U20 athletes, telling them to trust the work they had already done throughout the season.

“Shout out to the U20 team. Good luck, guys. Go out there and do what you guys have been doing all year,” Benjamin said. Brandon Miller added his own message, “Go do what you do. Go beat the rest of the world. Go do what Team USA does.” 

The support continued with messages from Chris Bailey, Yared Nuguse, Tee Tee Terry, Shelby McEwen, Grant Fisher and Cole Hocker.  However, for McLaughlin-Levrone, it also marked her first public connection with the sport since becoming a mother.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone takes careful approach toward Olympic comeback

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and her husband Andre Levrone Jr. welcomed their first child, daughter Savannah Michelle Levrone, on July 12, 2026. Before becoming a mother, Sydney made it clear that she wanted to return to competition and chase a place on Team USA for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though she never announced a fixed timeline for her comeback.

“I really hope to be back there with the USA on my chest representing our country,” McLaughlin-Levrone said while discussing her Olympic ambitions. For now, Sydney is expected to take a careful approach to her return.

She previously said her comeback would be a “slow progression back. I’m not rushing anything, but for sure that’s an exciting time that everyone’s looking forward to, which is the LA Games. I really hope to be back there with the USA on my chest representing our country.” Assuming all goes as planned, she may be able to slowly rebuild over the course of 2026, and then undergo a full training period in 2027.

The time frame would provide her with about one year of top-level competition training before the LA Olympics, which is a difficult but attainable timeframe for her level of performance.