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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/i...y_of_Union_Catholic_High_School_CNA.jpgNewark, N.J., Jul 24, 2016 / 03:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Sydney McLaughlin has not had an easy year.
In recent months, she fell ill with mononucleosis, her mother suffered a heart attack, and she underwent a nervous breakdown before a major qualifying track competition.
So when she became the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic track and field team on July 10, the victory was extra sweet.
What gets 16-year-old McLaughlin through the stress and pressure that inevitably comes with competing with some of the world’s top athletes? Her Christian faith.
“Something like track is a very mental sport,” she told CNA during a press teleconference, “there’s a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of expectation put on you.”
“Sticking to what I know and believing that everything I’ve been given comes from God definitely played a big role for me,” she said.
On July 10, McLaughlin finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the U.S trials in Oregon. That made her the youngest member on the U.S. track and field team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next month.
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Union Catholic HS @unioncatholichs
Sydney McLaughlin '17 is going to Rio! Congratulations & best wishes as you join @TeamUSA in the Olympics! #Rio2016
4:07 PM - 10 Jul 2016
436 436 Retweets 582 582 likes
Originally from Dunellen, New Jersey, McLaughlin attends Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.
As a Christian, the young Olympian explained that her faith in God has helped her throughout the journey.
She described the pressure and expectations leading up to the qualifying Olympic trials as much more than a typical meet.
“It became overwhelming at one point,” she said.
It’s a competition with the best of the best, added her father, Willie McLaughlin. He said the experience was similar for him.
In 1984, he qualified for the 400-meter semifinals at the Olympic trials but failed to make the Olympic team.
“Running the Olympic trials was the single most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my life. Hands down.”
Full article…
In recent months, she fell ill with mononucleosis, her mother suffered a heart attack, and she underwent a nervous breakdown before a major qualifying track competition.
So when she became the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic track and field team on July 10, the victory was extra sweet.
What gets 16-year-old McLaughlin through the stress and pressure that inevitably comes with competing with some of the world’s top athletes? Her Christian faith.
“Something like track is a very mental sport,” she told CNA during a press teleconference, “there’s a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of expectation put on you.”
“Sticking to what I know and believing that everything I’ve been given comes from God definitely played a big role for me,” she said.
On July 10, McLaughlin finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the U.S trials in Oregon. That made her the youngest member on the U.S. track and field team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next month.
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Follow
Union Catholic HS @unioncatholichs
Sydney McLaughlin '17 is going to Rio! Congratulations & best wishes as you join @TeamUSA in the Olympics! #Rio2016
4:07 PM - 10 Jul 2016
436 436 Retweets 582 582 likes
Originally from Dunellen, New Jersey, McLaughlin attends Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.
As a Christian, the young Olympian explained that her faith in God has helped her throughout the journey.
She described the pressure and expectations leading up to the qualifying Olympic trials as much more than a typical meet.
“It became overwhelming at one point,” she said.
It’s a competition with the best of the best, added her father, Willie McLaughlin. He said the experience was similar for him.
In 1984, he qualified for the 400-meter semifinals at the Olympic trials but failed to make the Olympic team.
“Running the Olympic trials was the single most stressful thing I’ve ever done in my life. Hands down.”
Full article…