Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spent 2025 breaking American records and winning world titles. She won gold in the 400-meter flat at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, all while planning for something bigger than a medal. For her, what she could achieve in 2026 is something no race could have prepared her for – motherhood. On Sunday, that something arrived — a daughter, Savannah. And the congratulations came flooding in from every corner of the sport.

The 26-year-old four-time Olympic gold medalist and husband Andre Levrone Jr. announced Savannah’s arrival Sunday. Fellow American Olympian Gabrielle Thomas kicked things off with a heartfelt comment 

“Congratulations 🥹🥹🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷”.

Tennis star Coco Gauff followed this with another comment.

“congratulations 🥹🙏🏾❤️.”

These comments followed McLaughlin-Levrone’s own Instagram post.

“Savannah Michelle Levrone 💗🥹 ,” wrote McLaughlin-Levrone on Instagram. “Our blessing and our joy is finally here! So grateful for everyone who supported us through the pregnancy journey. Looking forward to seeing what God has in store for our little girl!! ✨”

Before stepping away, she dominated the 2025 World Championships, winning golds in the 400m and 4x400m relays. However, since then, McLaughlin-Levrone has been on maternity leave, opting to fulfil the biggest dream she’s ever had. She was fresh from breaking the North American record with a time of 47.78.

After all, while one of her main goals was to be an Olympian, her other one was to be a mom. It did have her questioning whether she would be the same athlete pre- and post-having her daughter, but all those concerns disappeared.

“Those are conversations I think my husband and I had early on, like, what if I’m not the same athlete coming back? What if I’m not as fast?” McLaughlin-Levrone reminisced on TheSkimm Well Played podcast.

“But…I’ve also known my whole life that I wanted to be a mom, and so that’s like a beautiful opportunity and journey that we’re on. And I’m going to cherish that for what it is. And it’ll bring a different type of motivation coming back to the track once we make it through this.”

It meant that when she got an off year “where there are no global championships”, it felt like it was a fate smiling upon them and they took their chance. That doesn’t mean Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won’t be competing again, as she does plan on taking a breather and then returning. The four-time Olympic gold medalist’s goal is to be fit and track-ready in time for the 2028 Olympics.

That’s exactly why she has spent her maternity leave training, trying to “maintain some sense of normalcy on the track”. However, for now, her focus will likely be on her newborn daughter as congratulations flooded in from across social media. 

Olympians shower McLaughlin-Levrone’s daughter with best wishes

Gauff and Thomas were not the only ones pouring blessings and good wishes on the new family.

“Congratulations Mom and Dad!!!🥰🎉,” wrote sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce,

Track and field athlete Allyson Felix followed this with her own comment, “the sweetest blessing! congratulations!! 🥰💕”

Mothers themselves, Fraser-Pryce and Felix offer a roadmap. Both women had successful track and field careers after giving birth to a son and daughter, respectively. However, both women had particularly tough pregnancies but returned to enjoy a lot of success on the track again.

Felix would go on to make history by calling out Nike for their treatment of pregnant athletes before returning to competition in 2019. She would win two Olympic medals and become the most decorated American Olympian in history. Fraser-Pryce, on the other hand, slowly but steadily found her way back and won gold at the 2019 Worlds in Doha. Her comment under McLaughlin-Levrone’s post was followed by others.

Sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden quickly followed with “Congratulations!! 💗💗💗.”

British Olympian Keely Hodgkinson wrote, “Congratulations 😍🥹”.

Ana Peleteiro, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and countless others are all big examples for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as she prepares herself for her own comeback.

In fact, Miller-Uibo returned to the field four months after giving birth, participating at the 2023 World Championships. Even then, McLaughlin-Levrone knows that her comeback will be more of a marathon than her usual sprints, as she told USA TODAY Sports.

“This is a new type of race I’m running. It’s more of a marathon, not a sprint. I’m so excited to see how this helps mature me in so many different ways, both on and off the track. I’ve always desired to be a mom. This is something I’ve dreamt about for a really long time.”

Athletes weren’t the only ones in her comments as the official accounts for Team USA, World Athletics, and her sponsor New Balance all chimed in with a similar “Congratulations”.

For now, the medals can wait as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone embraces the milestone she has wanted longer than any championship. Judging by the response, Savannah has already found herself surrounded by an Olympic-sized family.