Sydney McLaughlin’s parents are Willie McLaughlin and Mary McLaughlin. The duo are sports lovers who participated in track and field events during their young days. It was their love for sports that helped them connect to each other, and now, you can tell where Sydney got her super speed from.
Aside from Syndey, Willie and Mary McLaughlin have 3 other children. The McLaughlin family gained huge recognition after their daughter became a gold medalist and set a new record of 51.90 seconds in the U.S Olympics trials 2020 during the 400 meters hurdles. She broke her record in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, finishing the 400 meters hurdles at a personal best time of 51.46 seconds, only to set a new record and personal best time of 50.68 seconds at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
As astonishing as the track star’s laurels in competitions are, Sydney McLaughlin’s parents are even bigger stars in their own rights, and here’s why.
Meet Willie McLaughlin, Sydney McLaughlin’s Father
- Full Name: Willie McLaughlin
- Nickname: Willie
- Gender: Male
- Date of Birth: February 13, 1963
- Willie McLaughlin’s Age: 61 years old
- Ethnicity: Mixed
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- Religion: Christianity
- Sexual orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Married
- Willie McLaughlin’s Wife: Mary McLaughlin
- Willie McLaughlin’s Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Kate McLaughlin
- Willie McLaughlin’s Children: Talyor McLaughlin, Morgan McLaughlin, Sydney McLaughlin, and Ryan McLaughlin.
- Willie McLaughlin’s Hair color: Black
- Willie McLaughlin’s Net worth: Over $1 million
- Famous for: Being Sydney McLaughlin’s father and a semi-finalist in the 1984 Olympics
Willie McLaughlin is 61 years old. He was born on February 13, 1963, in Dunellen, USA, into an African American home. He is African American and is of a mixed Ethnicity. Willie’s love for sports started playing sports at a young age which led to his participation in the Olympics.
However, information about Willie McLaughlin’s parents, siblings, and educational background, which includes elementary and high school remains unknown. He attended Manhattan college in New York, and that was where Willie met his wife Mary McLaughlin.
Sydney McLaughlin’s Father was a Professional Sprinter
Sydney McLaughlin’s father had always enjoyed playing and watching sports since his childhood. He had a passion for track-related sports, majorly sprinting. Willie McLaughlin, in his youthful age, competed in various track events and won multiple awards.
Willie was also determined to attain greater heights, he aimed for an Olympics medal. In pursuit of this dream, the professional sprinter advanced to competing in various state-level track competitions, and in 1982, the sprinter’s hard work paid off.
Willie McLaughlin qualified for the Olympics trials in 1984 and in particular for the 400-meter dash. Through hard work and determination, Willie McLaughlin displayed an impressive performance in the competition and became a semi-finalist.
Due to a Heart Disease, Willie McLaughlin Retired From Competitive Sports
While he was still active as a sprinter in the late 80s, Willie McLaughlin discovered he had a heart problem. One day, during a routine medical check, his doctor told him he had cardiomyopathy (a chronic disease of the heart muscles). As a result of this condition, Willie had to stop training and competing in track and field events.
Though he took time off competitive sports and even considered retiring altogether, Willie’s heart condition worsened over time, causing him to face life-threatening symptoms, which included shortness of breath. Fortunately for him, he underwent heart surgery in February 2021 and is no longer in danger.
Though his health has been relatively stable, his condition did prevent him from cheering for his daughter during the 2020 Olympics Trials in Tokyo. But be that as it may, Willie and his wife, Mary McLaughlin, still remain their daughter’s biggest fans.
Who is Mary McLaughlin, Sydney McLaughlin’s Mother?
- Full Name: Mary Neumeista McLaughlin
- Nickname: Mary McLaughlin
- Gender: Female
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Nationality: American
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married
- Mary McLaughlin’s Husband: Willie McLaughlin
- Mary McLaughlin’s Parents: Mr. Frank and Mrs. Helen Neumeister
- Mary McLaughlin’s Siblings: Jim Neumeister
- Donna Neumeister, John Neumeister, Mike Neumeister.
- Mary McLaughlin’s Children: Talyor McLaughlin, Morgan McLaughlin, Sydney McLaughlin, and Ryan McLaughlin.
- Mary McLaughlin’s Net worth: Not known
- Famous For: Being the mother of Sydney McLaughlin
There is little to no information regarding the birthdate and birthplace of Mary McLaughlin. It is assumed that she ought to be in her early fifties as of this year. Regardless, she is of American nationality and of Caucasian ethnicity.
Mary McLaughlin grew up in Idlewood off of Woodstock, not far from Brighton pool, where her parents, Mr. Frank and Mrs. Helen Neumeista, raised her and her siblings. She attended elementary school in her neighborhood; for her high school, she went to Cardinal O’Hara High School, Tonawanda, New York.
In an interview, Mary McLaughlin revealed that she attended the same high school as her siblings. Her elder brother Jim is the oldest amongst her parents’ children, and he graduated in 1973. Donna was next, and she graduated in the year 1975. Then came John, who graduated in 1977, followed by Mary herself, who graduated in 1979, and Mike, the youngest in the family, who graduated in the year 1982.
She Began Participating in Sports From High School
While in school, Mary McLaughlin took interest in sports and convincingly excelled as a Sportsgirl. She became a cheerleader and track and field athlete in high school. In those days, she trained with her peers and also ran track for O’Hara, and equally participated in summer track clubs.
After she graduated from O’Hara High School, Tonawanda, New York, in 1979, she proceeded to attend Manhattan College in New York City, where she majored in mathematics while her minor course was computer science. While studying, Mary never relented in her track activities.
Although her college never had a women’s track team when she joined the school, she resorted to training with her school’s men’s track team. There, she met her husband Willie McLaughlin.
Mary McLaughlin Worked with Western Electric After Her Graduation
Sydney McLaughlin’s mother is an intelligent woman who graduated from Manhattan College in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science. She was hired by Western Electric to work with computers, where she collaborated on projects with Bell Labs.
The Western Electric Company served as the primary equipment manufacturer, supplier, and purchasing agent for Bell Systems until 1984, when the Western Electric company was dismantled. After Western Electric went through divestiture (the process of selling off subsidiary business interests or investments), she ended up working at Bellcore.
Mary worked at Bellcore for 15 years and held several positions growing through the ranks in the organization. At a time, Mary McLaughlin was a member of Bellcore’s technical staff (MTS).
Sydney McLaughlin’s Parents Married in 1992 and Now Have 4 Kids
Sydney’s parents met when her mother joined the men’s track team at Manhattan College. The track coach approached Mary and told her that some of the new track athletes were arriving on campus, and Willia, her future husband was there. That was the first day Willie set foot on campus, and their meeting can be described as love at first sight!
Following their meeting, the two student-athletes became friends, and soon enough, their friendship turned to love. They both dated through college and married in 1992. The union was blessed with four children, 2 boys and 2 girls. The couple is still together, living happily and still pursuing their life interests and at the same time being supportive of their children, who have all grown into adults.
Meet Willie and Mary’s First Child: Morgan McLaughlin
- Full name: Morgan McLaughlin
- Date of birth: May 05, 1994
- Age: 29 years old
- Zodiac sign: Taurus
- Occupation: Caretaker
The couple welcomed their first child and their first daughter Morgan McLaughlin on May 05, 1994. Growing up, Morgan trained hard and became a professional runner but now works with older folks in an elder care facility which she has been great at doing.
Willie and Mary McLaughlin’s First Son is Taylor McLaughlin
- Full name: Taylor McLaughlin
- Date of birth: August 03, 1997
- Age: 26 years old
- Zodiac sign: Leo
- Occupation: Professional Sprinter, Engineer
- Instagram: @taymclaughlin16
The couple welcomed their second child and their first son Talyor McLaughlin on August 03, 1997. As it is the family tradition, Taylor also took to sports early on in his life and became a professional athlete who ran tracks. Taylor even competed in the Olympics trials.
Taylor studied at the University of Michigan, where he was an active member of the school’s track team. He won silver medals at the under 18 and under 20 World Championships before he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. He currently lives in California.
Sydney McLaughlin is Willie and Mary’s Second Daughter
- Full name: Sydney McLaughlin
- Date of birth: August 07, 1999
- Age: 24 years old
- Zodiac sign: Leo
- Occupation: A professional sprinter and hurdler.
- Marital status: Married
- Sydney McLaughlin’s Husband: Andre Levrone Jr.
- Instagram: @sydneymclaughlin16
- Famous For: Being a gold medalist in the Olympics Trials
Sydney McLaughlin was born on August 07, 1999. She is a professional hurdler, sprinter, and Olympic gold medalist and perhaps the most popular of Willie and Mary McLaughlin’s children. Her career accomplishments have proven that her parent’s commitment to her athletic pursuits paid off.
She set a record of 51.90 seconds in the U.S Olympics trials during the 400 meters hurdles in 2020 but broke her record in Tokyo 2020 Olympics when she finished the 400 meters hurdles in a time of 51.46 seconds. Then in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Sydney set a new record and personal best time of 50.68 seconds.
Aside from her world record accomplishments in sports, Sydney has other career accomplishments such as her partnership with New Balance. On a personal note, she recently got married to her husband Andre Levrone Jr on May 6, 2022.
Ryan McLaughlin is Willie and Mary’s Youngest Child
Sydney McLaughlin’s parents welcomed their youngest baby boy Ryan McLaughlin into their home in Dunellen. However, information about his birth date has remained hidden. In an interview, Mary McLaughlin gave more insight about her youngest child; she revealed that the lad just finished his second year of school at Santa Monica and is going to Cal State Fullerton, which is something he is excited about.
And like his elder siblings, and as it is a family tradition, Ryan participated in track events while in high school though it is not known yet whether he will go pro as a runner. He currently lives in California.
How Did Sydney McLaughlin’s Parents Help her Career?
Sydney McLaughlin’s journey into professional sprinting started in 2007, she was only seven years old, and her parents took her to the AAU Nationals (the Junior Olympics) in Tennessee, where she did very well in her age group. She came in second place in the 100m race and third in the 200m. She did all of that for fun then.
In 2008, they took her to the nationals once again. She did well but didn’t do better like the previous competition. Her parents thought that happened because she lacked coaching. Before Sydney started middle school, Willie would take his daughter to a track and teach her some technicalities in running, but it was “light” coaching at that time.
When Sydney got to middle school, she joined the track team and began to practice regularly, and also received formal coaching. That’s really when her “training” began and she was coached as a member of a team.
Sydney McLaughlin Has Brought Honour to Both Her Parents and Her Hometown
In 2016, Sydney was only 16, and there hadn’t been someone that young on the track and field team before to compete with professional athletes. It was not easy for her, but she rose to the challenge, and it probably helped prepare her for the games in Japan.
After the competition, she returned to her hometown and received love from her people there. We can say, Sydney did not only get support from her family but the community at large.
In an interview, her father revealed that he was overwhelmed to have the town come out and show their support and noted that his daughter deserved all the love the town came to show his family. On the other hand, Sydney’s mother expressed that she was amazed at the outpouring of love as she hadn’t expected it.
Besides this public expression of admiration for their daughter, Sydney McLaughlin’s parents have proven severally that they love and support their kids in whatever they wish to do. Apparently, it is a win-win for McLaughlin’s kids regardless of who is on the spotlight at any time.
