SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER WINNING GOLD IN 400 METER HURDLES FINALS
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00:00we'll bring you the QR code to scan. A reminder that all of these press
00:05conferences are available for download and use on myinfo after the press
00:09conference is concluded and if you have a question online for the journalists
00:12or for the medalists please click the ask OIS button and someone in the room
00:17will ask for you. All right let's bring out the three medalists for the women's
00:21400 meter hurdles. The bronze medalist repeating her bronze from the 2020 games
00:27in Tokyo with a time of 52.15 from the Netherlands from Kabul. The silver
00:34medalist the second silver medal in a row for the United States with a time of
00:3851.87 from the USA Anna Cockrell and the gold medalist in a world record time of
00:4550.37 her sixth world record she's the only two-time winner of this event and
00:50this was the hundredth medal in the Olympics for the United States when
00:55Sidney McLaughlin Lavroni crossed the line. If you have questions for the
00:59medalist please raise your hand we'll bring the mic over to you and you've
01:01been waiting patiently so we'll start with you.
01:08Tyler Dragon USA Today congratulations to all of you.
01:12Sidney this is your sixth time breaking your own world record what keeps you
01:17motivated in an event and will you consider switching to the open 400 soon?
01:23Yeah I mean the event is just getting faster and faster there's so much depth
01:28in it and I think it always keeps me on my toes and I just always want to
01:32continue to try to improve and figure out ways to just continue getting better
01:37in the race you know there's so many different ways to run it so many
01:40different stride patterns and all these things so I love being able to just
01:44improve upon myself.
01:53Hi Denise DePleres Tribune my questions for Anna before I start I want to say I
01:56think your grandfather would be very proud in 2021 you were going through a
02:00lot and you were still able to make an Olympic final and now we're here three
02:04years later and you've been able to transform not only mentally but as an
02:08athlete so I want to ask you what would you tell Anna from 2021 and what would
02:13you think your grandfather would say to you right now? I'll start with the easy
02:16one in 2021 what would I tell myself girl get in that therapist's office
02:20immediately let's get this together on a serious note though I think I was a
02:26person that was kind of inconsistent as far as I would go to therapy for a
02:30second and then be like I'm cured and then that's not how things work and the
02:34the progress in my opinion comes from continuing when you're not in crisis
02:39anymore so I think the biggest difference from 2021 to now was just a
02:45real overall commitment to the work in every aspect of my life on the track of
02:49course in the weight room as far as my diet goes but also just committing to
02:52the work on myself off the track how do I become a better person how do I become
02:56a person that is better equipped to handle the emotional highs and lows of
03:00training and of competing what do I think my grandfather would say my
03:06grandparents were laborers man they worked and I think that they would be
03:09incredibly proud of the performance I put out there it was gritty and it I
03:13think it was a good representation of who I am and the lineage I come from and
03:17I think they would just be proud of me thank you for that question
03:24Sidney hey Steve Politi from the Star-Ledger back in Jersey what was the
03:28significance of the tiara where did that come from she told me she was gonna
03:39bring it and she was gonna give it to me I thought she was joking but she was
03:42serious but no just just fun just family just you know just commemorating
03:49the moment really grateful she got to be here my whole family got to be here
03:53especially after Tokyo nobody's families were here so I know it's just special to
03:56have them in the crowd so love her yeah could you put this in perspective for
04:02your career I mean what does this one mean compared to some of the other
04:05accomplishments yeah I think it like I just said it's special to know that your
04:10people are here and to just have those moments that you can look back on when
04:15you're done running you know and to have those pictures with family and friends
04:19whatever the outcome is and so I think this was one one of those things I was
04:23missing you know Rio I didn't metal and Tokyo nobody was there so I think this
04:28was my first real Olympics and I'm grateful for that in its fullness it's
04:33hard to see with the lights but there's a gentleman standing up in the back
04:36thanks very much Brian man with NPR Sidney this is for you and I apologize
04:41I'm not sure that I heard you correctly in the mix zone it was really loud but
04:45did you speak to your faith there and and the role of faith in your
04:49competition and if I just completely misunderstood you then I apologize yeah
04:54no I mean I credit all that I do to God he's given me a gift he's given me a
04:59drive to just want to continue to improve upon myself and I have a
05:03platform and I want to use it to glorify him and so whenever I step on
05:07the track it's always the prayer of God let me be the vessel in which you're
05:11glorified whatever the result is how I conduct myself how I carry myself not
05:17just how I perform and so it's just freedom and knowing that regardless of
05:22what happens he's going to get the praise through me and yeah that's why I
05:27do what I do
05:32Sidney thank you Rob Willard from Agence France-Presse only seems like
05:37yesterday yesterday that we were talking about who would be the first to go under
05:4152 seconds here we are tonight you're 50.3 is 49 seconds realistic and when
05:49when might that happen yeah I also remember when Delilo broke the world
05:55record back in 2019 and I was just baffled you know seeing 52.2 and we've
06:01taken it so far and then I have to credit these ladies next to me for
06:04helping do that I think this is an event that isn't very it wasn't very popular
06:08but we made it very popular very quickly and I do think 49 is possible and I do
06:14think the talent sitting in front of you can do that and I think we push each
06:19other to do that and get better and improve and find ways to lower these
06:23times that we for so long thought were impossible I don't know when it's
06:27possible but I do think it's out there for sure
06:30Femke a question for you in this event over the last four years this podium has
06:35been very consistent with the two of you since since the rivalry started how is
06:40your approach changed and and and how have you seen yourself evolve as an
06:44athlete from 2020 to now well I think a lot changed I mean Sidney really pushed
06:51the bar I mean she was running 50 when I was still running 52 and I think it
06:55really opened your eyes that there's so much more possible because we liked where
06:59I like to sometimes think in a bit limits and I think I really learned not
07:03to do this and see how much is possible and once again today she proved on the
07:07moment it counts most at the Olympic final that she can perform so well and
07:11they were getting closer to 49 so it's really amazing to be part of this right
07:16here got it next question there we go over here Anderson
07:25Anderson number was hideous mag a question for a femke can two-part
07:29question can you just talk us through kind of your execution through the race
07:32and how you felt and just what it means to get another an Olympic gold medal or
07:35I'm sorry Olympic medal here in Paris I mean I thought it was first of all
07:40amazing in the stadium there were so many people so many Dutch fans also and
07:44it was such an amazing atmosphere to be in it really pushed me to go out there
07:49like crazy the first 200 this is what I wanted I maybe went a bit too crazy and
07:54I had to pay this a bit in the end so I died quite a bit I'm not too happy about
07:58this but it's it's for the turtles you will always die at one point and yeah I
08:05think it's just amazing to get another medal even my second one at this
08:09tournament already and of course I hope to upgrade my bronze medal but I
08:14defended it this time Cindy do you think there's a point where you will
08:24look to run other events than the 400 hurdles at the Olympics is that
08:27something that's on your on your docket in the future I don't know that I can
08:32give a definitive yes or no yeah I I do love doing other events there's other
08:39events that I haven't done since high school that I'd also love to do so I
08:43don't know I told them in the mix zone I said all I know is that today is
08:47Thursday tomorrow's Friday from there we'll figure out the rest so last call
08:53for questions we'll go here in the back one last one for Femke my name is
09:00evening water from the Olympic Channel do you think you could have been quicker
09:04or probably more stronger in your finish if you hadn't done the 4x4 really going
09:08very fast no I don't think so I mean I've often race a lot in Budapest I did
09:16even one race more I'm used to racing a lot I think if I would have maybe put my
09:21race up differently I could have run faster but I died so hard that this was
09:25not just because of the mix I'm cabal and a cockerel Sydney McLaughlin
09:32Lebronied the new world record holder congratulations and thank you for coming