Running the race before us

Understandably, our attention is focused increasingly on the presidential race and other political contests this fall. Many believers will be discouraged by at least some elements of those races. So, especially in a year when we just held the Summer Olympics, it’s perhaps helpful to be reminded of some races that we ought to find very encouraging—precisely because the racers themselves were so admirable.

But first, let’s step back in time. In 1924, Paris hosted the Summer Olympics, as it did this year. That year, the Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell won gold in the 400 meters. A gold medal is always a significant athletic achievement, but Liddell’s came after he withdrew from the 100 meters because the heats were held on Sunday. Liddell was a devout Presbyterian who believed it would violate the Christian Sabbath to run on the Lord’s Day. Instead of competing in his best event, he ran in a different race and took home the gold. Soon thereafter, Liddell relocated to China, where he had been raised on the mission field and served as a missionary for two decades. He died in a Japanese internment camp in 1945 during the final days of World War II. Survivors of the camp spoke eloquently about Liddell’s heroic actions and Christian witness.

For 100 years, the world has honored Eric Liddell’s Olympic achievements and Christians have celebrated his public witness. He has been the subject of numerous biographies and documentaries. More famously, Liddell’s experiences at the 1924 Paris Olympics were depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Not surprisingly, Liddell’s story has been recounted frequently in recent weeks because of the milestone anniversary of his gold medal and the return of the Olympics to Paris, including a feature in WORLD Magazine.

A century after Liddell, numerous Olympic athletes used their platforms in Paris to witness to their faith in Christ. One of the most prominent was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who is among the greatest track athletes in history. McLaughlin-Levrone has dominated the 400-meter hurdles for years. Through it all, she has given God the glory for her success on the track.

In 2015, McLaughlin-Levrone won the 400-meter hurdles at the World Youth Championships. In 2019, she won at the World Championships. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she won the gold and set a new Olympic record and world record. This is when she began to become more familiar to a wider audience. In 2022, McLaughlin-Levrone won again at the World Championships and broke her own world record. In Paris this summer, McLaughlin-Levrone continued to dominate on the track. She again won gold in the 400-meter hurdles, breaking her own Olympic record and world record yet again. She is the only athlete to break four world records in the same track event.

Not only does McLaughlin-Levrone excel in her individual event, but she also excels in team competition. At the same events where she was setting records in the 400-meter hurdles, she was a member of the U.S. team that won in the 4x400-meter relay. If you are keeping count, that is two consecutive world championships and two consecutive Olympic gold medals, in both an individual event and a team event, displaying record-breaking dominance in the latter.

Because of her athletic greatness, McLaughlin-Levrone is frequently in the spotlight. For years, she has used her social media platform to point others to Christ. Christian outlets have profiled her periodically, where she has talked freely about her faith during the interviews. The recent Olympics offered many such opportunities, for McLaughlin-Levrone and her husband, Andre Levrone Jr., who is a former NFL wide receiver and is enrolled as a student at The Master’s Seminary in Southern California.

In interview after interview in Paris, McLaughlin-Levrone returned to several recurring themes. God has given her a gift and a platform. She believes in hard work and delights in representing her nation. Ultimately, she runs to glorify God and point others to Christ. McLaughlin-Levrone doesn’t care if some people are put off by her faith, nor is she concerned that corporate sponsors might drop her because of her outspoken witness. She doesn’t run to receive the praise of men but to offer praise to God.

Earlier this year, McLaughlin-Levrone published a memoir, the title of which summarizes her outlook: Far Beyond Gold: Running From Fear to Faith. In the book, she credits her faith in Christ with helping her to overcome years of struggles with debilitating fear. She claims her primary identity is not an athlete but an adopted child of God. She longs for others to experience the same freedom in Christ that she has, and she doesn’t hide the fact that she hopes her memoir leads people to saving faith. Not surprisingly, McLaughlin-Levrone is clear that as she has reflected on what it means to be a Christian who is a track athlete, her role model is Eric Liddell.

As the famous hymn says, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold.” Of course, this is the testimony of every follower of Jesus Christ. But it is especially poignant in the life of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. In a day when unbelief is on the rise, and during an Olympics when controversy over anti-Christian symbols was in the news, it is refreshing to see a world-class athlete give glory to God and call upon others to bow the knee to Him by grace, through faith.