Sydney McLaughlin's Parents Were Also Both Runners in Their Youth

Sydney McLaughlin's parents, Mary and Willie McLaughlin, never pushed their daughter to follow in their footsteps. The famous athlete naturally gravitated toward the race tracks, and all her parents did was provide guidance and support with their own experience as former track runners.

Mary and Willie McLaughlin passed their athletic genes down to all of their children. While the couple supported their kids' endeavors – especially Sydney, who went on to become an Olympic gold medalist – they also developed a strong and loving bond with them, as Sydney often revealed on her social media posts.

The athlete dedicated an entire digital album to her family on her Instagram page, a chronicle of highlights that included birthday tributes, throwback photos, and family jokes. Sydney named this digital album "Fam [red heart emoji]."

One highlighted story was a family throwback photo she posted a little over three years ago. The picture was taken on May 24, 2004, when the McLaughlins seemed to be heading out for a special occasion. Mary donned a beautiful beige ensemble with a silky top and a velvet floor-length skirt.

Her husband matched with a darker beige waistcoat and tie with his black tux. The couple posed at the bottom of the staircase along with their children, who all smiled at the camera. A few months later, Sydney posted a picture of Mary and Willie geared up for a workout session.

The pair sat on their couch with their dog. Willie's face was a mean mug that expressed determination as he slung his towel on his shoulder and had his water bottle and a blue mini fan on standby. His wife wore black boxing gloves, sitting with their dog on her lap and a water bottle at her side.

Sydney thought the photo was hilarious. She shared another instance of Mary and Willie showcasing their sense of humor. The couple had missed a particular celebration with their daughter, as Sydney's caption revealed:

"'Wish we could be there to celebrate, oh wait, we are.’ [skull emojis x4]."

And indeed, Mary and Willie were present in the form of a life-size cardboard cut-out. Sydney then joked, saying her parents "must be stopped." Mary and Willie welcomed Sydney into the world in Dunellen, New Jersey, where her love for the race track was born.

She was six years old when they signed her up for her first meet. Sydney remembered how fun the activity was and how proud and happy her parents were when she won for the first time. Those reactions encouraged her to take the sport seriously and make it her future. It was a personal choice, as she explained:

"My parents didn't really coach or train me — they just let me run and I would win, and they saw potential in that."

And so they supported their daughter. Mary and Willie not only guided Sydney into a professional athletic career, but they also cared for her mental health. They were observant and compassionate of her growth and readiness at each stage in her career.

When Mary was in high school, they didn't have a girls' running team, so she joined the boys' team alongside her brother. When she reached college, she managed the men's running team since the institution didn't offer a women's division. That was where she met Willie.

Much is known about Mary and Willie's daughter, who broke a world record by beating the 400m hurdles in under 52 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials last year. However, the parents of four lived interesting lives, too, before expanding their brood.

Although Mary didn't go professional, she said she had no regrets. She was just happy to have met the love of her life. And while their family remained a tight unit, they've had to face some challenges together, including a health scare sometime last year.

Mary McLaughlin

Mary grew up in the town of Towananda in Buffalo, New York. She attended Cardinal O'Hara High School, where she excelled in running track. However, Mary had begun collecting numerous medals from her wins long before she reached high school.

When she enrolled at Cardinal O'Hara High, Mary found that they didn't have a girls' track team, so she joined the boys. Her brother attended the same school and also ran track in the same team. His presence contributed to how welcoming her male counterparts were.

Still, Mary noted that she may not have been the first girl running on the boys' team. She competed in interschool competitions against other male teams, doing the 400m run and relays, and held the record of sprinting half a mile in under 2:12 minutes.

Her children inherited those skills, as one of her sons once secured a silver medal after running the 400m hurdles at the IAAF World U20 Championships in 2016. She was also present when Sydney broke her under-52-seconds record, beating the previous holder Dalilah Muhammad.

Mary graduated from high school in 1979 and pursued her tertiary education at Manhattan College. However, like Cardinal O'Hara High, Manhattan College didn't have a women's track team, so she managed the men's team. There, she met her then-future-husband, and they eventually started dating.

As a Buffalo native, Mary still had family members, including her mom, brother, and sister, in the city that she and Sydney visited from time to time. When Sydney was younger, they reserved every summer for those trips to Buffalo.

Some years back, Sydney highlighted her mom's special day with a sweet birthday tribute. She shared a throwback photo of a young and seemingly defeated Mary, who looked on while she was on the phone.

Next to her, a much younger Sydney seemed to be making quite a fuss. In memory of that picture's events, she captioned:

"Happy Birthday to the only woman strong enough to put up with me [cake emoji, pink hearts emoji]. Love you lots momma [smiley face with hearts emoji]."

Sydney added another old image to her collection, a photo that depicted her mom, herself, and her sister smiling for a picture. Mary donned a red striped sweater and blue jeans, with her shoulder-length copper locks, let down. Her daughters posed at her left, sporting blue and yellow tops.

Willie McLaughlin

Willie didn't pursue an athletic career, but he guided his daughter – who is married to Andre Levrone Jr. – and watched her excel at their shared passion. Last year, though, despite receiving an invitation to a watch party in Orlando, New York, he cheered her on at the Tokyo Olympics from his living room.

This was after a particular health scare that occurred in January 2021. Willie was born with a genetic heart defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and underwent a transplant after his medication caused some adverse effects.

He was afraid to be around large crowds, as he wanted to avoid contracting Covid-19 and compromising his already delicate immune system – at the time, the number of infections was peaking. The ordeal was difficult for his family, especially his children.

With the pressure Sydney faced in her field, he always concerned himself about her mental health. In the same way that Simone Biles pulled out of her gymnastics competition to focus on her mental well-being, Sydney's parents ensured their daughter was supported in that regard.

Willie made a name for himself at Manhattan College. After his impressive success in the Men's Track and Field team, he was inducted into the institution's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. Like his daughter, he ran the 400m track and eventually made it to the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials semi-finals finishing with a 45.3 record.

The pair have a close relationship, bound by love and faith in one another. Included in Sydney's digital family album on Instagram is a picture captioned "that's love," where Willie held his daughter's hands while they spoke. The father of four believed all his children were talented, but when it came to Sydney, he said:

"All of our kids are fairly talented. But (Sydney’s) a little special. We saw it coming. It was just a matter of time."

In a similar post, Willie and Sydney embrace each other. She sweetly captioned the photo, expressing her gratitude for his faith in her. The pair also share a sense of humor, as one of the highlighted stories showed a screenshot of their FaceTime call where Willie humorously pulled one side of his eye down.