Sydney McLaughlin-Leverone releases a 13-minute film on her 2023 season opener

I think that's the whole point, and the reason why Syd chose Kersee as a coach. She's obviously someone who needs that kind of structure in her life, based off the people around her.

Wow, there's a lot to unpack here. Seems like we've got a whole bunch of folks missing the whole point of the video and making assumptions left and right.

First off, that 'snarky thought' about a 13-minute film for a 49-second race. Well, newsflash, the film isn't just about the race. It's about the journey, the mind games, the blood, sweat, and tears that go into those 49 seconds that we, as viewers, don't get to see.

And about the 'dramatization' – isn't that what good filmmaking does? It takes an ordinary moment and transforms it into something extraordinary, something we can feel, empathize with, and understand on a deeper level. What some call dramatization, others might call providing insight into the human experience of being an elite athlete.

Next, the insecurity and the asking-her-husband-if-he's-proud-of-her bit. Athletes, even world-record holders, have moments of doubt. It's human. Needing reassurance from loved ones is normal, not a sign of weakness.

And let's talk about this whole 'race day' issue. She's opening up about her nerves and anxiety before a major event. That's not 'making a big deal', that's being human. This video isn't going to make her anxiety worse. On the contrary, it could be therapeutic, a way of sharing her experience and dealing with the pressure.

Now, let's address the 'underdog' narrative. She started the season running an event she was still getting the hang of. Her coming last in the 60m hurdles wasn't about 'not trying.' It was about putting herself out there, about being open to failure as part of the growth process. That's not underestimating her abilities; it's showcasing her resilience and dedication.

About her faith, it's her personal belief and an integral part of who she is. In the face of such high stakes and pressures, faith can be a powerful source of strength and peace. She's choosing to share this aspect of her life because it matters to her, not to make a performance out of it.

As for the whole 'needing approval' and 'being controlled' narrative, I see it differently. Her interactions with her husband and coach show a strong, trusting team dynamic. She values their input and recognizes the importance of their support. That's not being controlled; it's acknowledging that nobody succeeds alone.

Lastly, if this video, in all its honesty and vulnerability, leaves you feeling 'nauseated,' it might be time to look inwards and question why. Seeing another person's vulnerability and strength shouldn't inspire such negativity. So, before casting stones, it's worth checking our own insecurities and biases.

Throughout the video I had one overriding thought...I can't believe they posted this, that her camp actually came up with this version as the finished product.

Non-stop tension. That defines the video. From the opening seconds the video depicts Sydney as a bundle of nerves. And she does it in her own words. How can they use that meaningless 2021 sprint hurdle opener as evidence of anything, let alone struggling under Kersee or potentially not making the team? She's not a 3-stepper. She would come in last repeatedly in top company.

Sydney uses that clip to emphasize how anxious she was during 2021, and what the critics were saying, then somehow the exit line of her quote is that when you trust the process you don't have to worry about what anyone is saying. Was that a parody? It's blatant throughout the video that she projects outside thought process and expectation above inner calm, and she has gobs of help in that regard. Her husband is so paranoid about public perception he won't allow Sydney to sit down for a few seconds after the race. He is worried that it will, "attract attention." I've seen that so many times from preachers and those of extra faith. Somehow they are fixated on body language, with an absurd notion that anything will be interpreted as sign of weakness. Meanwhile, nobody cares.

That segment is when I began to feel sorry for Sydney. She is tons more likable than anyone from her entourage. Sydney is like a puppet during that segment. Her husband directs her to answer the media questions and to do it with a smile. As soon as he uses that word, Sydney bloats a brief full mouth smile. It's like a 3 year old when encouraged to say cheese during a family photo shoot.

Again, I can't believe they posted that video. It was overly dark, which removed any feel of warmth. The 13 minutes felt like 4 minutes of content. Contrast to the indoor race day video of Keely Hodgkinson early this year, which was vastly superior in every respect. That producer understood to use clips of relaxation and normalcy, to allow the audience to warm up to the person. This video offers none of the same until it's far too late, near the very end when she hugs a fellow competitor and poses for a photo in the dark.

The bathtub scene was again very sad and representative. For example, the Dutch team posts photos and videos of those ice baths all the time. They make it a raucous group activity, full of laughs. Sydney's version is alone in a hotel room. It may not always be this way. But the videographer allowed that impression.

The end could not have been more predictable. It wrapped back to the front. Sydney is obsessed with public opinion. Why would she bother to address the issue about not competing frequently? Athing Mu from the same camp and carrying the same criticism was happily dancing in the stands a few weeks ago, and then followed that up with an offbeat interview while attending a subsequent meet. Meanwhile Sydney and her camp were already strategizing this video and how to defensively phrase things.

If she were truly content the expectation topic would never come up, let alone as lead and finale.

Wow, your analysis is a masterclass in misinterpretation. Sydney's decision to participate in the 60m hurdles wasn't about her 'struggling' under Kersee, one of the most celebrated track coaches of all time. It was about refining her skills, pushing her boundaries, not settling for the comfort zone. You're trying to spin this as a shortcoming, but in reality, it's a testament to her determination to grow. And guess what? The result was history-making. She broke her main event world record by the largest margin in any event in women's track history.

Sydney's perceived anxiety throughout the video is humanizing. She's facing the world, raw and unfiltered, revealing the immense pressure that comes with being the best. It's easy to sit behind a screen and criticize. How about we see you handle that level of pressure?
Your criticism of the video's darkness is another misguided shot. It's a cinematic choice, adding depth and gravitas, capturing the magnitude of what she's undertaking. It's not a reality TV show, it's the journey of an athlete pushing her limits.

And the claim about Sydney being fixated on public opinion? Let's clear that up. Last year, she was unjustly criticized for not displaying 'enough' emotion after winning. People mistook her physical exhaustion for a lack of joy. This time, she's ensuring she's understood, in her own words, on her own terms. This isn't about obsession, it's about setting the narrative straight.

You're accusing her of puppetry, but all I see is a strong woman standing her ground amidst the public pressure, tirelessly working on her craft, and showing us the reality of her journey, not just the highlight reel. So maybe, just maybe, it's time to revisit your perspective and give credit where it's due.

Lastly, let's drop the pretense here. Your commentary seems to be less about Sydney and more about you, doesn't it? Perhaps her courage, her transparency, and her drive are just a bit too much for you to handle. It's easier to throw stones than to mirror that same bravery.
Instead of lobbing criticisms from behind the safety of your screen, maybe you should step up and confront your own fears. Because let's be real – it takes a certain kind of courage to put oneself out there like Sydney does. Can you say the same about yourself?

So, before your fingers race to write your next critique, take a moment. Ask yourself: 'Am I projecting my own insecurities, or am I actually providing valuable insight?' Your answer might just surprise you. Because at the end of the day, while you're comfortably ensconced behind your keyboard on letsrun.com, Sydney's out there, flying between Paris and LA, racing against the best. She's living it, while you're just typing about it

I feel so sad for Syd, she has a narcissistic, nutjob as a coach and an overly controlling, religiously indoctrinating, misogynist as a husband; I only hope she wakes up soon. The way her husband speaks to her is pretty gross, it's more like he's her abusive, authoritarian daddy than her spouse. I'm not sure what the game plan is here, but it's not going to end well. I don't know how anyone, especially another woman, looks at that video and thinks that she's in a good place. WOW!

Wait until you see the current #1 high school 400 girl. God or Jesus every other utterance.

Wait until you see the current #1 high school 400 girl. God or Jesus every other utterance.

She’s a decently strong hurdler, she won Penn Relays.

Hi, I'm Roger Biebert, and I am here today to review Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's "72 hours in Paris". Let's get into it...

"72 Hours in Paris" is a well-made thriller, tense and involving, and the scary thing, in these months after the end of DGR, is that it's all too believable. Conspiracies involving suspect training philosophies to be found in obscure publications of the far left. Now they're glossy vlogs starring superstar hurdlers. How soon we grow used to the most depressing possibilities about our coaches -- and how soon, too, we commercialize on them. Hollywood stars used to play star athletes. Now star athletes play the roles of thriller protagonists.

Sydney is a target this time, and she makes a good one, all open-faced and trusting. She's a hurdler for something called New Balance, and she looks like a graduate student, with glasses and adult attire. The video doesn't exactly make her activities transparently clear, but she seems to devour and computerize foreign training books and PR guides in a search for codes and messages, translated into Kersee-speak.

Sydney brings a nice dogged seriousness to her role: She would very much like to stay competitve, so she's got to rethink all of her assumptions about her coach. The video becomes the story of how she stays alive and unwittingly reveals a conspiracy within the diamond league.

She's assisted by her husband, Mr. Levrone. She has kidnapped him in order to use his hotel room as an ice bath hideout, but something about him convinces her that she's not paranoid -- that, indeed, there really are people trying to kill her career. She's fairly neurotic herself, but she's a good sort and she helps herself all she can. And she has three lines of dialog that brings the house down. They're obscene and funny and poignant all at once, and Sydney delivers them just marvelously.

The film's director, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, has worked with Mr. Levrone three times before. Here she does an interesting job of gradually revealing the net around his character. It's made up of business like types, the most chilling thing about them, indeed, is their bloodlessness as they discuss nerves and other "contingency plans."

The video never pushes their various and labyrinthine conspiracies too far. We can believe that world athletics might behave in this way -- and that it possibly has. The ending, when it comes and when it's explained with such cruel logic by Sydney herself, has the right ring. A very hollow one.

2.5 out of 4 stars.

I could really do without this video. Just race more please.

Nice video. Great to see Bobby Kersee a bit too.

She's got a lot of handlers/support group and her husband seems like a real nice guy.

Sydney is just so overwhelmingly awesome to most of us that just watching a video like this is a big deal. Those who don't have the 13 minutes should watch. This young woman is one of the most awesome people who have ever been in this sport and we are fortunate to have lived through this era. We know there is much more to come from her.

She is so intense. We all would like to see her let her hair down a bit. You worry about the pressure, the expectations.

I bet that her 13 minute video is more time than the total time of all of Sydney's 2023 races will be.

The juxtaposition of the Sydney video and the Dominic Lobalu video which both appeared in my subscription box on the same day is worth mentioning. My god.

First off, let's address the audacity you've displayed in your comments. You've somehow turned a few VLOG snippets into an entire psychological profile. Bravo, I never knew we had an armchair psychologist in our midst.

You label her coach, a legend in the sport, a 'narcissistic nutjob'. One would think his proven track record would give you pause before making such baseless allegations.
Then there's the blatant character assassination of her husband, whom you've branded as a 'controlling, religiously indoctrinating misogynist'. This is reckless and downright disrespectful. And on the matter of religion, why the issue? Last time I checked, this was her personal YouTube channel, her own space to express herself freely. If her display of faith bothers you, perhaps the issue lies more with your own biases rather than her choices.

You say you feel 'sad' for Sydney. It's ironic because if anything, she might feel sad for you. Your distorted interpretation of her life speaks more to your own skewed worldview than anything else.

Before you cast labels on Sydney's support system, consider what labels might be applied to you: 'Keyboard warrior'? 'Internet troll'? Or perhaps 'Insecure detractor'? Your eagerness to project negativity onto her life says more about your personal struggles than hers.

And while you're busy typing these unjustified and unkind accusations, Sydney is out there, shattering world records and living her life on her own terms. Maybe it's time to get off your high horse, leave your keyboard, and start working on improving yourself, rather than tearing others down?

That's good, right? I suspect more world records to come.

That video was fine. A little dull in the middle. Just keep going over the last minute for her that was positive and hopefully the main takeaway.

It baffles me that someone this good worries so much about what other people think. The race anxiety is perfectly natural and normal and something you have to deal with but stop worrying about what other people think!! I remember when Webb was having his ups and downs and just thinking if I was that good noone would be able to tell me anything (which could be a problem in another way lol) but I would totally not be concerned with what some amateur people or media had to say. My internal response to any criticism would be who is the WR holder again? Oh yeah its me please shut up.

Also to put it gently Im geneally on the side of the athlete makes the coach more than the coach makes the athlete. Coaching is still very important of course but its easier to be a coaching genius when you have the best athletes esp in track and field. It was always confusing to me that she was an elite 400m hurdler who didnt know how to hurdle with left leg? It seems like that is hurdling 011 like the first week you start with both legs esp for 300 or 400 hurdlers at some point they will have to do that. At least thats what we do and we are far from hurdle geniuses. And obv like someone else said that 60m hur race was basically a practice at a meet for sponsor.

Anyway shes awesome and hopefully they race a little bit more but when she likely wins in Budapest it will be all good the process will have been trusted and worked lol. I actually hate that expression im sick to death of it but its all good. 95% of the time the process is that youre simply better than everyone else but no worries.

Didn't watch the whole thing but the race commentary was very confusing. Any 400m runner knows the race is get out fast, float, resurge. She said she felt she was locked into that fast pace... Which is why we saw her tie up at the end and lose. The strategy might make a little more sense on the men's side since they're running 5 seconds less than the top women. Needs a new coach for sure if they can't handle the basics.

I could not finish this video. It was too scripted and she hardly ever races.