Sydney McLaughlin, the 16 year-old hurdling phenom from N.J., was greeted by a few dozen teammates, classmates and faculty from Union Catholic High School when she arrived at Newark Airport on Thur...
Sydney McLaughlin came down an escalator to the baggage claim area in Terminal A at around 8:15 on Thursday night at Newark Airport when the newly minted teen Olympian was met with a surprise welcome.
A few dozen of McLaughlin's classmates, teammates, friends, coaches and faculty from Union Catholic High School took a bus from their school in Scotch Plains, N.J. to greet the 16-year-old track and field sensation.
McLaughlin, a rising senior at Union Catholic, was returning home from a whirlwind trip on the West Coast that was highlighted of course by her stunning third-place finish in the women's 400-meter hurdles at last Sunday's U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon when she became one of the youngest U.S. track and field Olympians ever.
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McLaughlin was greeted first by Union Catholic headmaster Percylee Hart, who gave McLaughlin a hug and handed her some flowers. McLaughlin, shocked and touched by the turnout, proceeded to hug everyone who was there.
It's the first time McLaughlin's been in Jersey since June 21. In the 23 days since then, McLaughlin experienced a lifetime of memories that most teenagers could only fantasize about.
First, McLaughlin won the 400 hurdles at the U.S. Junior Championships in Clovis, Calif. on June 25. Two days later, she was surprised by her idol, multiple Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, who presented her with the Gatorade National High School Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year award. A few days later, McLaughlin celebrated the 4th of July at Felix's house. Then after overcoming a bad case of the nerves, McLaughlin made her Olympic dream come true much sooner than she ever imagined, smashing the World Junior record in the 400 hurdles in the process with a 54.15.
That's not all.
Two days after making the Olympic Team, McLaughlin was honored at an awards banquet in L.A. as the Gatorade National High School Female Athlete of the Year, where she delivered a very emotional and powerful speech about her rough Road to Rio. The next day she was walking the red carpet on her way into the ESPY Awards..
How many 16 year olds can top that in their "How I spent my summer'' essay?
MORE: 13 things to know about Sydney McLaughlin
McLaughlin said the reality of being a U.S. Olympian at the age of 16 didn't hit her right away.
"It's all pretty amazing,'' said McLaughlin, who lives in Dunellen. "There were a lot of great girls that didn't make it (the Olympic Team), and I was able to make it. When I crossed the finish line I was so relieved and just happy that I finished. It all seemed so unreal at the time. It really didn't hit me until a couple days later when I woke up and said, 'Wow, I'm an Olympian.' How crazy is that? I just can't believe everything that's happened to me. I've always wanted to be an Olympian. I just never thought it would happen this soon.''
McLaughlin overcame a lot of obstacles on her Road to Rio. She had mono for the first six weeks of the indoor track season, her mom (Mary) suffered a heart attack on April 2 while driving Sydney to look at prom dresses, and then came a case of stage fright before her first race at the Trials when McLaughlin felt that she didn't belong at a meet of that magnitude.
"It wasn't easy,'' said McLaughlin, just as humble and modest as she was before she become an Olympian. "I knew it was going to be a hard road, and it just kept getting harder. There were times when I didn't think I'd make it through the season and even get to the Trials. First there was the mono, then the heart attack, then injuries and social life stuff. And then before my first race at the Trials I didn't think I could do it. There were cameras everywhere, so many people, and I was running against all these professionals. And there was all the pressure. But my coaches got me on the line, I got through it, and now here I am.''
McLaughlin's brother, Taylor, an All-American 400 hurdler at Michigan, isn't the least bit surprised by what his sister has done
"We all saw this coming,'' said Taylor, headed to Poland on Friday for the World Junior Championships. "Since her freshman year when she started breaking state records, she just kept getting better and better. Nothing Sydney does ever surprises me.''
Mary McLaughlin is in awe of what her daughter accomplished.
"It's amazing what Sydney has gone through to get to this point,'' she said. "She went through a lot to become an Olympian, and I couldn't be more proud of her. You could make a movie about all this.''
A celebrity around New Jersey tracks since shattering the N.J. state 300-meter record as a 14 year-old freshman in her first high school race ever on Dec. 21, 2013, McLaughlin's fame has quickly spread across the country over the last few days.
McLaughlin got some air time at the ESPYs, her name is now plastered on billboards, her picture is on Gatorade bottles, and she gets besieged by strangers for selfies practically everywhere she goes, especially in the airport.
McLaughlin even had a Hall of Famer track her down. After the ESPYs, NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown ran over to meet McLaughlin and get his photo with her.
"I had no idea who he was,'' said McLaughlin. "I just thought it was another random person. It's all been kind of crazy.''
What will McLaughlin, exhausted from all the traveling, racing, and appearances, do between now and when she leaves for Rio on Aug. 9, two days after her 17th birthday?
"Sleep, eat, and sleep again,'' said McLaughlin. "I'll do some training every once in a while.''
When she runs in Rio, McLaughlin will become the youngest U.S. track and field Olympian since Cindy Gilbert competed in the high jump at the age of 15 at the 1972 Olympics. The first round of the 400 hurdles is on Aug. 15, and McLaughlin will take the line with the 4th fastest time this season among all the competitors.
Can McLaughlin actually win an Olympic medal?
"I'm not going there with any expectations,'' said McLaughlin. "I'll just go and do the best I can and see what happens. But anything is possible as we realized on Sunday.''