I really don't get how she puts so much pressure on herself. Especially in hs that sounds like bs. If you're the kid on the block nobody expects you to be winning right away. The race is less than 60 seconds long surely when the gun goes off the nerves dip and you run?
Frankly to put that much pressure on yourself is to believe that so many people care about how you and at the time no one did. Now I could understand it but there was no pressure on 16 yearold sydney.
You're correct. No one was putting pressure on her in the 2016 Olympics.
But her problem wasn't external pressure. Her problem was internal anxiety.
Some people really struggle with anxiety and she is one of those people. Anxiety isn't logical. You can't just say to yourself "I shouldn't be anxious" and then the anxiety goes away.
She is now the 400h GOAT and she still struggles with anxiety, although fortunately it's not as bad as it was before.
I hope for her sake that one day she will eventually being able to solve that problem.
Yep, I agree. As someone with a bad case of nerves throughout high school at track meets (wouldn't say anxiety but just nerves), I always was able to ration to myself that no-one really cares THAT much and it's not a big deal how I do, and that being that nervous is counterproductive anyways, all of which are true, and I truly believed those things, yet my heart was still beating outside of my chest, probably a subconscious thing.
honestly, i don't care that she did it, but i wish she didn't write about it. we have a generation that is gonna think it's perfectly normal to just say f-it and bail on competition. they are glorifying it at this point, after the whole Biles thing.
maybe they are the first generation of people to re-evaluate our obsession with competitive sports, and how it affects the people who perform for us. To me, there is something that rhymes with "what if this person gets the other minimum-wage employees to question why they do what they do?" I don't know. But I'm interested lol
I really don't get how she puts so much pressure on herself. Especially in hs that sounds like bs. If you're the kid on the block nobody expects you to be winning right away. The race is less than 60 seconds long surely when the gun goes off the nerves dip and you run?
Frankly to put that much pressure on yourself is to believe that so many people care about how you and at the time no one did. Now I could understand it but there was no pressure on 16 yearold sydney.
I agree with this. at that age, getting there should be the prize. all the pressure should be gone for the race. no expectations. but that's not what she felt.
"There's no pressure, it doesn't matter. She's irrational to think people care." - person reading and commenting about it 7 years after the fact
When I see runners fall down in 1500m to 10000m races with about 400m to go or when I see 800m runners fall down with about 200m to go, I don't think necessarily 197x-something Boston College or 198x-something Tulane U. basketball point shaving, but I don't think it is random bad luck when runners fall down so close to end of race. I believe it is usually anxiety. Throwing a 400mH race without falling down? How do you keep your stride pattern? Was she short stepping on purpose? I don't believe it. I believe S M L had anxiety, but tanked a race on purpose? No! Selling books. Publishers need to sell well over 100,000 books the first month.
600yd/600m man wrote: Throwing a 400mH race without falling down? How do you keep your stride pattern? Was she short stepping on purpose? I don't believe it.
You obviously know very little about the women's 400 hurdles. Women run 2 seconds slower than their SB in preliminary rounds all the time. And that's exactly what Sydney did. She ran 2 seconds slower than her SB.
Some women train to run a different stride pattern in heats and semis. Other women train to run the same stride pattern in heats and semis but just run slower. Haven't you ever watched the early rounds of a women's 400h before?
Learn a little more about the event before you make posts that show you don't know what you're talking about.
Its way deeper than sports ifykyk. Athletes like Biles,Osaka,etc all went through humiliation rituals in 2021. The elites/higher ups have rewards for them...
600yd/600m man wrote: Throwing a 400mH race without falling down? How do you keep your stride pattern? Was she short stepping on purpose? I don't believe it.
You obviously know very little about the women's 400 hurdles. Women run 2 seconds slower than their SB in preliminary rounds all the time. And that's exactly what Sydney did. She ran 2 seconds slower than her SB.
Some women train to run a different stride pattern in heats and semis. Other women train to run the same stride pattern in heats and semis but just run slower. Haven't you ever watched the early rounds of a women's 400h before?
Learn a little more about the event before you make posts that show you don't know what you're talking about.
You are going to say I know nothing about a T&F event? List the female Olympic 400mH medalists you coach? You can't.
You aren't going to prove S M L tanked, 2016 Olympics or didn't tank. This is hilarious! S M L fans (I kind of was one before) want us to believe S M L intentionally tanked Olympics. If you are a S M L fan, why do you believe that is good? Didn't one or more 1986-1987 &/or 1987-1988 season Tulane U. basketball players go to prison for point shaving? As a fan of S M L, you are pathetic. You think you are helping her.
You do realize that people sometimes write BS just to sell books, right? They need to make it interesting or no one is going to buy it. Add something "controversial" and the sales go up. Publisher probably read the final draft and thought, "BORING! You need to spice this up. How about making up a story about how you ditched a huge race due to anxiety? That is a big seller right now thanks to Biles and Osaka!"
I don't believe her for a minute and I am a huge McLaughlin fan.
Go back to trackside interviews after the final at the 2016 USOT. Two competitors are say they're blessed. One grimaces more than grins, and says "I'm glad this is over with." Check SM's expression at 4:33, and what she says from 5:00-5:25.
Future Olympic champion and 400m hurdles world record holder Dalilah Muhammad dominated, while high schooler Sydney McLaughlin rallied to finish 3rd and clai...
honestly, i don't care that she did it, but i wish she didn't write about it. we have a generation that is gonna think it's perfectly normal to just say f-it and bail on competition. they are glorifying it at this point, after the whole Biles thing.
Re: this thread, I agree. But…
…The “Biles thing” was an athlete who thought she could not perform at a high level, stepping aside so she would not hurt the team, and allowing a teammate to step in who could do better than Biles’ capability at that time. In the old days, we called that, “Being a team player and not letting ego get in the way.” What is so hard to understand? Why do you have a problem with that?
You obviously know very little about the women's 400 hurdles. Women run 2 seconds slower than their SB in preliminary rounds all the time. And that's exactly what Sydney did. She ran 2 seconds slower than her SB.
Some women train to run a different stride pattern in heats and semis. Other women train to run the same stride pattern in heats and semis but just run slower. Haven't you ever watched the early rounds of a women's 400h before?
Learn a little more about the event before you make posts that show you don't know what you're talking about.
You are going to say I know nothing about a T&F event?
Of course you know nothing about the women's 400h. You think that women can't run their normal stride pattern slower or alter their stride pattern. That proves that you are clueless about the women's 400h. Stick to commenting about events you know something about.
You do realize that people sometimes write BS just to sell books, right? They need to make it interesting or no one is going to buy it. Add something "controversial" and the sales go up. Publisher probably read the final draft and thought, "BORING! You need to spice this up. How about making up a story about how you ditched a huge race due to anxiety? That is a big seller right now thanks to Biles and Osaka!"
I don't believe her for a minute and I am a huge McLaughlin fan.
Beyond that, SML didn’t write anything. She was interviewed and that interview was recorded. Then a writer added the needed sparkles to the story.
I like it when people tell the truth. Now we can learn to deal with it, recognize it.
As a coach you should be starting to realize that anxiety is a big part of competition and you might have even had kids do things you are unaware of...
So now that you know it happens (even at the highest levels with some of the most successful athletes) - learn ways to help you kids deal with it - not be mad that it is now out in the open.
I bet the #1 reason kids quit sports is anxiety related.
l
One day at practice (15 years ago) I raised the issue/question about parental pressure and was surprised by how many kids had experienced this....that's when I knew this was something worth exploring.
She was suffering with crippling anxiety and did not want to make the final, and purposely tried to not qualify. Considering her PB from that year was around a 54 low, and a 53 high medalled, if she hadn't been suffering with those issues could she have been a medalist at 16?
History is writ. We will never know and why should we care?
I'm not sure you have ever been in a race in your life. To say there was NO pressure on ANYONE running in the Olympics is a joke. It doesn't matter if you are favored to win or everyone thinks you will get last, there is an incredible about of pressure and a whole country that are fans of the sport (at least) of people that care how you do.