US Olympic Gold Medalist Credits God After Breaking Own World Record
One of the marks of a successful athlete is someone who is motivated to compete with and do better than their personal best.
And if that athlete is a Christian, he or she recognizes that it’s God who blesses them with the ability to be skillful in what they do, which can mean that, “…he will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (Prov. 22:29, ESV).
Christian athlete Sydney McLaughlin is keenly aware that God has gifted her for track and field. And she takes her faith with her right into her track and field events.
Earlier this week, she broke her own world record during the World Athletics Championships event in Eugene, Oregon. She competed in the 400-meter hurdles event and finished with a time of 50.68 seconds.
The 22-year-old U.S. Olympic gold medalist seems to be on fire given the fact that it’s the fourth time that she has set a new world record over the course of about a year.
She was quick to take to Instagram after her win and give God the glory, quoting the scripture:
“‘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.’ – Hebrews 4:16.”
“Praise. His. Name,” she wrote.
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She went on to express what a beautiful day she and the team experienced, and that as they prepared for the meet, “the core of my team was centered around faith and belief. The amount of prayer coupled with hard work was divinely culminated in 50.68 seconds. By the grace of God, we accomplished our goal.”
McLaughlin is the youngest United States Olympian to compete in track and field since 1972.
She volunteers with the Central Jersey Chapter of Hope Worldwide to distribute fire safety and disaster relief information on behalf of the American Red Cross. She also assisted with the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.
