For years, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has dominated the 400m hurdles, but in 2025, she surprised everyone by shifting her focus to the 400m flat and continuing to dominate. So now McLaughlin-Levrone’s races involve no jumping, a whole lot more running, and a whole lot less… blinking? Yes, you heard that right.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist has revealed a struggle that few fans are aware of: her vision. During a Q&A with GQ Sports Magazine, McLaughlin‑Levrone responded to various fan comments about her on social media, including, “Dusting everyone while not being able to see is crazy work.”

“I do need glasses,” she responded. “I do struggle seeing far away, and when I come up on a hurdle, I blink about five or six times before I clear it just because it’s a little fuzzy. My vision’s not that bad to where I really can’t see at all. But, if you asked me to read something, I probably couldn’t.”

If we do the math, with 10 hurdles to clear, that amounts to about 50-60 extra blinks per race, all while trying to stay ahead of the competition and attuned to her own race. To fans, her solution sounds far from efficient, but McLaughlin-Levrone has revealed it’s the best one she’s got. In fact, she’s been open about this issue since last year, as it can be the biggest challenge of her career.

“I don’t wear contacts, but I actually can’t see very well, and it’s kinda been a problem,” the Olympic gold medalist said. “But it is what it is. I tried contacts, couldn’t do it, it’s fine.”

Laser vision correction would, of course, give McLaughlin-Levrone a permanent solution to her vision problems, but is it something she’s considering?

The athlete has considered LASIK surgery, but with the risks and potential side effects it carries, she’s cautious.

“I would probably wait until after my career to do LASIK, just in case something goes wrong,” she said. “I need to be able to see.”

And joining her is compatriot Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who’s also dependent on glasses but hasn’t opted for LASIK, though for wholly different reasons.

“As much as I would love to see, I think I’ve just gotten so used to not running and being able to see very, very well,” revealed Jefferson-Wooden last year.

The problem is, though, I love wearing my glasses,” she added. “I love wearing my glasses, but I hate putting contacts in my eyes. This is like a love-hate relationship. So I’m like, I mean, obviously, if I get LASIK, I could still wear cute frames or something, but I don’t know — maybe, maybe I will think about getting LASIK.”

And yet poor vision has hindered neither athlete’s high-level performances. In fact, McLaughlin-Levrone might be stepping up her game even further at the next Olympics.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is eyeing the double

Despite struggling to see clearly, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has never let anything blur her belief in herself. As we saw in 2023, she was on a record-breaking streak when a knee injury forced her to sit out the World Championships, costing her the chance to defend her title. Many wondered if the setback would change her momentum. But she returned, stronger than before.

Not long after, she broke more world records and earned two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then, in 2025 at the World Athletics Championships, she stunned the world again by winning gold in the 400m flat, running 47.78 seconds. It became the second-fastest time in history and set a new championship record. She also played a major role in leading the U.S. 4x400m relay team to another gold at the same championships.

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Now, her eyes are set on 2028, and her goals reach even higher. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and her coach have talked openly about the idea of an Olympic double in Los Angeles, running both the 400m and 400m hurdles.

When NBC News asked her about the double, she said, “I think the options are still open. There’s a lot of different directions you could go with it.” Also, she added about trying the 200 m: “I definitely would love to run some more 200s in the future. I was hoping in 2024 to dip under 22 (seconds). … So maybe something like that. And then, you know, maybe going back to the hurdles for a little bit…,” she said.

The 2028 track schedule has, however, complicated that plan. The 400m flat and hurdles are scheduled on the same days, with the semifinals and finals overlapping. This means nearly no rest time in between races. It’s not impossible, but still unlikely for an athlete to attempt both races.

Regardless of what will happen in the future, one thing remains evident: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone doesn’t let injuries, setbacks, and doubts write her story.