The 17 year-old McLaughlin is the youngest U.S. track and field Olympian since 1972.
There were no long faces or heads hanging when the few hundred fans that watched Sydney McLaughlin run in semifinal round of the women's 400-meter hurdles at the Olympics began to file out of the gym on Tuesday night at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.
Although the 17 year-old McLaughlin, a rising senior at Union Catholic, placed 5th in her heat in 56.22 and failed to advance to Thursday's final in Rio de Janeiro, the students, faculty, and alumni that gathered to cheer on one of their own weren't disappointed with the outcome.
Instead, they gave McLaughlin a nice ovation when she was shown on the giant screen TV just moments after she completed the race, recognizing the historic season that she had just completed.
"No one is disappointed,'' said Makay Johnson, a rising junior and a sprinter on the track and field team at Union Catholic. How could any one be disappointed when a 17 year old runs in the Olympics. Look how far Sydney got. She made it all the way to the Olympics, and she's still in high school. What she did this season is amazing, and seeing her in the Olympics has really motivated me to work even harder.''
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Johnson was at the viewing party at Union Catholic on both Monday and Tuesday to watch McLaughlin compete.
"It was great for the school to do this,'' said Johnson. "It gave us all a chance to come out and show our support for Sydney.''
Jim Reagan, the Assistant Principal at Union Catholic, said the school and the entire Union Catholic community couldn't be more proud of McLaughlin.
"This was a celebration of a great person and athlete,'' said Reagan. "Sydney is a role model for not just the students in our school, but to all of New Jersey, and to many student athletes around in the country. What she accomplished by competing at the Olympics is truly remarkable. To see our students, alumni and the whole community all come together and show their support for Sydney shows how much everyone cares about her and recognizes how special she is. We couldn't be more proud of Sydney. And this is just the beginning for her. She has a great future, both on and off the track.''