After a GOATed 2025 season, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has slipped into a brief off-season pause. The 400m world champion is making the most of her reset, freshly inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame at the very place her Olympic journey began. World title. Hall of Fame honour. Boxes checked. Eyes forward. But the four-time Olympic gold medallist has a confession to make.

During the 17th Annual Induction Ceremony at The Rink, hosted by New Jersey’s own Danny DeVito, the event honoured some of the most influential figures hailing from the state, including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone herself. Reflecting on her roots, the 400-m World Champion expressed her deep love for her hometown.

“We have a lot of grit. We have a lot of determination. We might be small, but we’re mighty.”

In that heartfelt moment, she perfectly embodied the spirit of the Garden State yet shone guilt through her eyes.

“You know, I enjoyed my off-season a little too much, so I’m gonna slowly get back into training now. I’ve been eating a little too much, but you have to rest, you know?” she said in her conversation with Fox 5 for which the anchor responded, “It’s well-deserved.”

For the unversed, McLaughlin is a big foodie herself. After her season-finale race last year at the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 13–14, the athlete dominated the 400m flat as well as the 200m invitational race, clocking 49.11 and 22.40, respectively. And when the race wrapped up in her glory, something else was waiting for her: a big entrée of waffles and chocolates.

“This is the best meet ever.”

With the 2025 season in the rear-view mirror, the athlete might be looking to open her 2026 campaign a little earlier than expected. How? Earlier this month, World Athletics announced, “The #WorldIndoorTour will return in 2026, featuring a packed calendar of almost 80 meetings across all levels.” The 2026 World Indoor Tour will kick off with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on January 24, 2026.

Gabby Thomas has already expressed her interest in competing, but what truly sets this edition apart is the introduction of the women’s 400m, a major development for the event. With the event now featuring her discipline and being a long-time New Balance athlete, the likelihood of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone making an appearance has never been higher.

For those of you wondering, will she be fit for the next season on time? Well, let us have a look at what the 400m World Champion had to say about her food habits.

“Any day can be a cheat day,” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone confesses

After her phenomenal 2024 season, the athlete went into a focused training block for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships. Amidst her off-season, the athlete made an appearance on ‘The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast’ along with her husband, Andre Levrone. During the conversation, the athlete spoke plainly about her eating habits, admitting that despite having junk food, she maintains the discipline needed to perform at her peak.

“Food, I mean, high protein, healthy carbs, vegetables, lots of water. We do like the occasional sweets, but like the healthy sweets. Any day can really be a cheat day to be honest, it’s just a matter of how much we eat? Sometimes I go extreme, and I’m like, I’m not going to eat anything bad, and he’s (Andre Levrone) like don’t do that, cuz then you’re going to start binging one day, so we just do little doses,” said the 400m World Champion.

Ninety minutes on the track, ice baths, saunas, and a locked-in recovery routine, that’s been her formula for staying a class apart. And yes, junk food still finds its way into the plan because, as she puts it, you’ve got to “live a little.” Her off-season is always about enjoying life before returning to dismantle anyone in her lane.