Sydney McLaughlin is favored to win gold in the women's 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics. At the U.S. Olympic trials in June, she broke her own world record—crossing the finish line in 50.65 seconds. The Paris Games will be her third Olympics, but her first competing under her married name: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
In 2022, Sydney married former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr., and she calls him her "biggest hype man." Sydney said, "I'm so grateful for Andre because he understands the athlete life, the day-to-day, what it takes, and all the little things. We're very similar just in how we're wired because of that, which helps us understand each other."
Andre and Sydney in Paris, 2022.
Here, everything you need to know about Sydney McLaughlin's husband Andre Levrone Jr.:
1. He was born and raised in Maryland.
Andre is the son of Andre and Angie Levrone. He has an older brother, Jonathan, who served a tour in Iraq as a tanker in the U.S. Army, and an older sister, Raquel. Both his parents were athletes; his mom was a track & field athlete, gymnast, and cheerleader, and his father Andre, Sr. played linebacker while serving in the Marine Corps.
In high school at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Andre played wide receiver and safety.
2. He played Division I football, then competed in the NFL.
In college, Andre played for University of Virginia, and after he graduated in 2017, he went undrafted in the NFL; however, he signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens and played for Baltimore, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. He retired from the NFL in 2020 after just three seasons.
"Deciding to no longer pursue a professional football career was a difficult decision, but a necessary one nonetheless," he posted on Instagram. "The early mornings, the late nights, the relationships formed, & the relationships lost. Many smiles, laughs, & tears. A fractured vertebrae & countless other ailments... it was ALL worth it. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have abided in my passion for so many years, & to have done so on every level."
3. He DM'd Sydney on Instagram after she posted a selfie.
In her memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, Sydney revealed how she met her future husband. "One day, I posted a selfie with the caption 'Attention,' a reference to a song I’d been listening to," she wrote, saying she wasn't trying to get anyone's attention, just "being a little creative." She soon got a DM from Andre: "You have my attention. How can I get yours?"
In a separate interview with the Knot, Sydney revealed "we had a mutual friend who I went to high school with and he went to college with, but we didn’t interact until he slid into my DMs. We started off as friends. He asked me to do Bible study with him and introduced me to so many great people." She added, "It was the first time I was in a relationship with a man who I felt could lead me in my faith to a place where I wanted to be. We both knew early on that we liked each other and what our intentions were. If I could say the one thing about our relationship, it's that it was always very intentional. Honestly, I knew the fourth day we ever talked. So that's something."
The rest is history: They began dating, got engaged in August 2021, and tied the knot in May 2022.
4. He's in seminary school.
Sydney McLaughlin kisses her husband Andre Levrone Jr. at the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships.
Both Sydney and Andre are very outspoken about their Christian faith, and are members of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California. In fact, Andre is enrolled in the Master's Seminary, located on Grace Community Church's campus.
Before enrolling in seminary school, he was a commercial real estate advisor with MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, according to his LinkedIn profile.
5. Andre will be at the Olympics.
Sydney and Andre in June 2024.
He was at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, where Sydney broke her own world record, and will be cheering his wife on at the Olympics as she looks to win another gold medal.
Emily Burack
Senior News Editor
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
