{"id":797863,"date":"2019-07-22T16:32:01","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T22:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/young-hurdler-mclaughlin-balances-expectations\/"},"modified":"2019-07-22T16:32:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T22:32:01","slug":"young-hurdler-mclaughlin-balances-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/young-hurdler-mclaughlin-balances-expectations\/","title":{"rendered":"Young hurdler McLaughlin balances expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.90608875129\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-369049-766\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | NTB scanpix | FILE - In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women's 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she's juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.(Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"3.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"18\">\n<p><strong>FILE &#8211; In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women&#8217;s 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she&#8217;s juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.(Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)<\/strong><br \/>AP | NTB scanpix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02.jpg\" alt=\"FILE - In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women's 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she's juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.(Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, United States' Sydney McLaughlin competes in a women's 400-meter hurdles heat during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. McLaughlin's name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer. (AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man, File)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15\">\n<p><strong>FILE &#8211; In this Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, United States&#8217; Sydney McLaughlin competes in a women&#8217;s 400-meter hurdles heat during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. McLaughlin&#8217;s name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer. (AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man, File)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-1.jpg\" alt=\"FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, United States' Sydney McLaughlin competes in a women's 400-meter hurdles heat during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. McLaughlin's name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer. (AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man, File)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | NTB scanpix | FILE - In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Dalilah Muhammad, left, and Sydney McLaughlin, both from the United States, compete in the women's 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. McLaughlin took first place. McLaughlin's name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.\" i try not to pay attention she said. scanpix via class=\"h-100\" readability=\"4.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"20\">\n<p><strong>FILE &#8211; In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Dalilah Muhammad, left, and Sydney McLaughlin, both from the United States, compete in the women&#8217;s 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. McLaughlin took first place. McLaughlin&#8217;s name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer. &#8220;I try not to pay attention pressure,&#8221; she said. (Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)<\/strong><br \/>AP | NTB scanpix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-2.jpg\" alt=\"FILE - In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Dalilah Muhammad, left, and Sydney McLaughlin, both from the United States, compete in the women's 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. McLaughlin took first place. McLaughlin's name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer. \" i try not to pay attention she said. scanpix via><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | NTB scanpix | FILE - In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women's 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she's juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.(Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"3.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"18\">\n<p><strong>FILE &#8211; In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women&#8217;s 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she&#8217;s juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.(Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)<\/strong><br \/>AP | NTB scanpix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/US_Championships_Juggling_McLaughlin_Athletics_22105-3dd02-3.jpg\" alt=\"FILE - In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women's 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she's juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly surfaces among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Games next summer.(Lise Aserud\/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports-news\/young-hurdler-mclaughlin-balances-expectations\/?#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports-news\/young-hurdler-mclaughlin-balances-expectations\/?#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Sydney McLaughlin can juggle. She can also ride a unicycle. And she has been known to juggle and ride a unicycle at the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cBut I haven\u2019t done both of them at the same time in a long time,\u201d the 400-meter hurdler added. \u201cI\u2019m getting older now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">About to turn 20 next month, she is juggling quite a few things these days \u2014 a new coach, living on the West Coast, making the transition from college to the pro circuit and the weight of lofty expectations. Her name constantly pops up among the ones to watch heading into the Tokyo Olympics next summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That\u2019s hardly a surprise: In 2016 and at just 16, McLaughlin became the youngest U.S. track and field athlete to compete in the Olympics in more than four decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pressure doesn\u2019t bother her. She just keeps her eye on the prize like she did as a kid when her dad would coax her to run with the reward of a chocolate candy bar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Winning is her incentive now \u2014 and it\u2019s just as sweet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cFor me it\u2019s kind of just focusing on myself and making sure I\u2019m doing everything possible to be successful,\u201d McLaughlin said ahead of the U.S. track and field championships, which start Thursday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A year ago, McLaughlin turned pro after spending a season at Kentucky and winning the NCAA 400 hurdles crown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Since then, the New Jersey native has been adjusting to life in Los Angeles and working with 2004 Olympic 100-meter gold medalist Joanna Hayes. McLaughlin won her Diamond League 400 hurdles debut in Oslo, Norway, last month with a victory over U.S. teammate and defending Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That despite knocking down the first hurdle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s good to know the strength was there,\u201d said McLaughlin, who also won in Monaco on July 12. \u201cBut definitely have to work on the hurdles form and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">McLaughlin will be one of the favorites when the 400 hurdles start Friday. It\u2019s a loaded field that also includes Muhammad, 2015 world champion silver medalist Shamier Little and bronze medalist Cassandra Tate, \u201816 Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Spencer and reigning world champion Kori Carter. Since Carter has an automatic spot to worlds in Doha this fall, there are three more spots up for grabs in the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere\u2019s so much depth,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cIt\u2019s particularly hard to make that team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">McLaughlin teamed up in early November with Hayes, who ran the 400 hurdles before switching over to the 100 hurdles. Any chance McLaughlin makes a similar move?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe always joke about it,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to see about that one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One hurdle at a time. Her focus remains on steadily learning the nuances of the taxing 400 hurdles event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cShe\u2019s talented and there\u2019s no need to put everything on the line or everything into it in one year,\u201d Hayes explained. \u201cGive her room to grow and make strides.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hayes gets asked this often: Can McLaughlin one day break the world record? The mark sits at 52.34 seconds set by Yuliya Pechonkina of Russia in 2003. McLaughlin\u2019s top time is 52.75 seconds, which she ran in May 2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe don\u2019t talk about, \u2018OK, we\u2019re going to try to break the world record,\u2019\u201d Hayes said. \u201cWe go in there and try to execute a great race. If you do that, eventually records will come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Growing up, McLaughlin wasn\u2019t all that jazzed about running. Her father, Willie, would provide plenty of motivation in the form of candy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHe said, \u2018If you run I\u2019ll give you a chocolate bar.\u2019 I ran the 100 meters and actually won,\u201d recalled McLaughlin, who started a juggling club while in high school and recently got back into the hobby. \u201cI think I was more excited about the chocolate bar than the fact I won. I guess he lured me into the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She is still motivated by reward \u2014 a good performance earns her either a nap or a cheeseburger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s the simple things in life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">McLaughlin comes from an athletic family. Her dad was a 400-meter semifinalist at the 1984 Olympic Trials and her mother, Mary, ran in high school. Her two brothers and sister also have competitive running backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And when the siblings get together, it becomes rivalry time. Sydney pairs with her brother Taylor and they\u2019re pitted against her sister Morgan and brother Ryan. The competitions range from bowling to board games to push-ups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe usually win,\u201d cracked McLaughlin, the Gatorade national high school track athlete of the year in \u201916 and \u201917. \u201cAnything that involves winning you can best believe that we\u2019re competing with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In her spare time, she\u2019s active on social media and offers tips to kids not that much younger than her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI definitely think having people look up to you and ask you for advice drives you to want to do better and continue to have success,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cI have fun with being that role model that does things the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports-news\/young-hurdler-mclaughlin-balances-expectations\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FILE &#8211; In this June 13, 2019, file photo, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States poses after winning women&#8217;s 400m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics competition in Oslo, Norway. About to turn 20 next month, she&#8217;s juggling quite a few things these days _ new coach, living on the West Coast, making [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-797863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-18 06:12:22","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=797863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797863\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=797863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=797863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=797863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}