Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 'mom mode' but has sights on 2028 Olympics

• Decorated track and field athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is expecting her first child, a girl, in early July.
• McLaughlin-Levrone has expressed her excitement about motherhood and hopes to inspire her daughter.
• She intends to resume her track career after her pregnancy and is not rushing her return.
• Competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is a goal for the four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, one of the most decorated track and field athletes of all time, is in the midst of a new journey – motherhood.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist and 400-meter hurdles world record holder announced her pregnancy with her husband, Andre Levrone Jr., in January.

The two are having a girl, with the due date in early July.

“This is a new type of race I’m running. It’s more of a marathon, not a sprint. I’m so excited to see how this helps mature me in so many different ways, both on and off the track. I've always desired to be a mom. This is something I've dreamt about for a really long time,” McLaughlin-Levrone told USA TODAY Sports during a promotional interview on behalf of BAND-AID Brand PRO HEAL 5 Day Protect. “So, being able to do this, and have my daughter hopefully see me continue to strive for excellence on the track, really excited to just inspire her and hopefully have a different type of motivation that gets me excited to continue to chase my goals.”

McLaughlin-Levrone admitted she’s currently in “mom mode” but she fully intends to resume her track and field career when the time is right.

At the time McLaughlin-Levrone announced her pregnancy, she was fresh off breaking the American record in the women’s 400 with a time of 47.78 seconds, the second-fastest time in the history of the event. She’s just 0.18 seconds off the world record set in 1985.

“I think records come when they're supposed to come. I think it's taking it one day at a time. I don't really like to get too hung up on this is what I have to do, and I have to break this. But I think really, when the preparation's there, when the motivation is there, and when everything comes into alignment, that's when those kinds of things happen,” McLaughlin-Levrone said of breaking the 400-meter world record.

If McLaughlin-Levrone does pursue the 400 world record, accomplishing the feat at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics would be worthy of a Hollywood script.

McLaughlin-Levrone doesn’t think she’ll run in both the 400 and 400-meter hurdles at the 2028 Olympics, but competing at the Olympics on American soil with her daughter in attendance is certainly on her mind.

“That's definitely something on my mind, for sure. We'll see how pregnancy goes and postpartum and all of those different things, and it's going to be a slow progression back. I'm not rushing any. But for sure, that's an exciting time that everyone's looking forward to, which is the LA games,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I really hope to be back there with the USA on my chest, representing our country.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.