Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone announces pregnancy

The four-time Olympic gold medallist will miss much of the 2026 season after the news

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will miss much of the 2026 season (AFP via Getty Images)

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has announced that she is pregnant.

One of the world’s leading athletes, the 26-year-old is the 400m hurdles world record holder and added a gold medal in the flat 400 metres at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.

She is set to miss much of 2026, though, after confirming that she is expecting a child with husband Andre Levrone.

“Made a human with my favourite human,” McLaughlin-Levrone posted on Instagram.

The American was named World Athletics female athlete of the year for the second time in 2025 after becoming the first woman for 40 years to dip below 48 seconds in the 400m.

Her switch to the event came after years of domination over the hurdles, with McLaughlin-Levrone breaking the world record en route to Olympic gold at Paris 2024.

After defending her Olympic crown individually, McLaughlin-Levrone also added a second 4x400m relay gold.

There is no World Championships scheduled in 2026, although the 26-year-old may miss the launch of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships.

The inaugural edition is due to be held in Budapest in September and offer record prize money, with event winners earning $150,000 (£111,000).

McLaughlin-Levrone and her husband, a former NFL wide receiver hopeful, married in 2022.