Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Olympics Treasure Damaged as She Shares Major Update

On August 8, 2024, heartbeats were fast in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just north of Paris. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m hurdles world record holder, took her mark on the track in a field with the likes of Femke Bol and Dalilah Muhammad. The gunshot crackled the silence, the audience roared as the women on the track jolted. Levrone in lane 5, cruising, slowly and steadily taking over. 30 seconds in, she was leading. 50,37 seconds- Sydney McLaughlin Lervone had broken the world record once again to claim the gold in the Paris Olympics. But it wasn’t the American flag alone that she had in her hands after the win.

The Olympian then went on to greet her family in the stands, and when she returned onto the track to lose with her time of the lead, it wasn’t just the American flag that dropped over her shoulders. In her right hand was a Tiara. Yes, a Tiara. She was crowned the queen of the 400-meter hurdles. But it has been 10 months since the Olympics, what of the Tiara now? Where is it? How is it?

The same curiosity drove this reporter to ask her about it when he interviewed her before the Philly Grand Slam Track. In the video posted by Citius Mag on their YouTube channel, the Olympian’s face and eyes seem to light up at the mention of the Tiara. A broad smile appeared on her face as she said, “I do, I do. Uh, it’s sitting next to my TV. It’s missing a couple jewels, so they’re probably floating around Paris somewhere. Um, but yes, I still have it. It’s great.”

Now, if you’re wondering why it’s missing a couple of jewels, you and the reporter are on the same page. Upon asking about it, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone gave the reason, answering, “Um, it was a busy night. I mean, there was a lot going on, and I think just the hustle and bustle—putting it in bags and stuff—a couple of them fell out. But it still looks beautiful, still shining.” The reason is very much justified, given that Sydney’s way of celebration was some really good food. Cheeseburger is the priority.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and more crowned champions

Sydney is not the only one who donned her medal with a crown. We have seen other champions fashion a tiara after their win. Keely Hodgkinson’s journey to Olympic gold in the women’s 800 meters at Paris 2024 was marked by a series of near-misses and relentless determination. At just 19, she clinched silver at Tokyo 2020 with a British record time of 1:55.88, breaking Kelly Holmes’ 1995 mark. She remained consistent with silver medals at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, finishing with times of 1:56.38 and 1:56.34, respectively. But a gold was missing. In Paris, Hodgkinson finally stood at the top of the podium, winning gold with a time of 1:56.72. Celebrating her hard-earned victory, she donned a golden crown during her victory lap.  

In a similar trajectory, after a challenging career marked by injuries and near-misses, she secured her first Olympic medal with a total of 6,844 points, just 36 points behind Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam, who clinched gold with 6,880 points. In the final event, the 800 meters, Johnson-Thompson achieved a personal best of 2:04.90, but it wasn’t enough to surpass Thiam’s 2:10.62. And how did she celebrate this? Well, she also donned a silver tiara and waved the Union Jack.