Olympic track and field gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, who broke her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships on July 23 in Oregon, is using her time in the limelight to share her Christian faith.
After smashing her previous record set a month ago, she gave all credit to God in a social media post that has since gone viral with over 400,000 likes.
Her 50.68-second finish was the fourth time this year that the 22-year-old New Jersey resident broke the world record in the event.
In an Instagram post following the win, McLaughlin quoted Hebrews 4:16, which describes God’s generosity in giving his people what they need: “So let us come BOLDLY to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
In her Instagram caption, McLaughlin added that prayer and hard work “divinely culminated in 50.68 seconds.”
In an NBC Sports interview following her latest victory, McLaughlin was asked how she accomplished her goal. She said, “I’ll have to start off by saying all the glory to God.” She continued by saying that God gave her the strength to achieve this milestone.
McLaughlin is not Catholic, but she grew up in a devout Christian household and attended Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, N.J.