When a legend talks, you listen.
And when that legend is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion, you sit up straight, look him in the eye, and listen to what Michael Johnson is saying.
There aren’t too many sprinters more decorated in the history of the sport than Johnson, so when he mentioned that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reminds him of himself, it’s important to note.
McLaughlin-Levrone signed with Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league for the upcoming 2025 season, to compete in the long hurdles, and Johnson has been effusing praise on his star athlete since.
McLaughlin-Levrone recently appeared on Grand Slam Track’s Spill the Tee, where she explained why she doesn’t exude her personality 24/7.
Something that Johnson related to.
“I get a lot of flak for not showing enough personality on the track but it’s because I’m trying to give you all the best performances possible,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.
The reigning 400m hurdles Olympic gold medalist kept it straight business.
Johnson took note and gave her all the love.
“One reason Sydney was the first athlete I signed is because I identify with her,” Johnson wrote.
“I was also criticized for not showing personality because I was all business on the track which is how I got the results.
“After the race is where you got to see my personality.”
Johnson is one of the best to ever do it.
McLaughlin-Levrone is well on her way.
It was silly to criticize Johnson for his approach at the time, and it’s silly to criticize McLaughlin-Levrone for her’s now.
Especially when she is coming off a summer in which she defended her 400m hurdles crown from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and once again won the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Not to mention she did the same with her 4x400m relay team.
Oh, and she holds the world-record in the 400m hurdles at 50.37 seconds, breaking her previous world-record of 50.65.
In other words, what she’s doing is working.
The 25-year-old superstar keeps adding gold medals to her trophy case, she doesn’t care about when she does or doesn’t show personality.
Whatever she’s doing, is working for her.
And she has Johnson in her corner defending her every step of the way.