Sydney McLaughlin is a 17-year-old U.S. Olympic track and field athlete, who specializes in hurdling and sprinting events. She is from New Brunswick, New Jersey, and she attends Union Catholic High School. Sydney was recognized as the 2015-2016 Gatorade National Girls Athlete of the Year for dominating on the track.

Her best event is the 400 meter hurdles, and she’s already been very successful in this discipline. At the 2015 World Youth Championships, Sydney won gold in the 400 meter hurdlers. This will also be the event that she competes in at the 2016 Summer Olympics, as she punched her ticket to Rio by finishing third at the U.S. Trials with a time of 54.15.
This will be Sydney’s first Olympic appearance, and her quest for a medal will begin with Round 1 on Monday, August 15 at 8:30 p.m. To get ready for the big race, take a look at the photos of Sydney in the gallery below.