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From Olympics to fashion, Sydney McLaughlin’s rise is just beginning

(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Sydney McLaughlin isn’t planning to think much about running or the Olympics this month. After returning home from Tokyo last Monday, she did laundry, re-packed and left again for vacation with her family.

That time for relaxation is an important part of McLaughlin’s journey, which up until now has been a nonstop ascent. In just five years, the 22-year-old has turned professional, competed in two Olympic Games, won two gold medals and set a world record in the 400-meter hurdles.

Now, McLaughlin can add fashion designer and businesswoman to that list. The American track star on Monday revealed her first footwear and apparel collection in partnership with New Balance. The inspiration for the fashion line aligns with McLaughlin’s own sensational career.

“My dad, ever since I was young, he’s always told me to be the butterfly,” she told Just Women’s Sports last week. “It symbolizes growth and becoming who you’re meant to be, this beautiful creation. I look at butterflies as rare, as hard to catch, very unique, no two are the same, and that’s one of the main mottoes of the collection: ‘Be the first you.’

“So it’s really a beautiful representation of myself and my style and the things that I truly believe in and stand for.”

McLaughlin embodied the “butterfly” no better than in this past year.

In June, she became the first woman to break 52 seconds in the 400m hurdles when she won the event at the United States Olympic Trials in 51.90 seconds. She beat her own time earlier this month at the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold and setting a new world record with a time of 51.46 seconds. McLaughlin followed that up with another gold medal in the 4x400m relay alongside U.S. teammates Allyson Felix, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu.

McLaughlin was just 16 when she competed in her first Olympics in Rio, where she failed to qualify for the final in the 400m hurdles. She leaned on that experience heading into Tokyo.

“I felt a lot more confident going into this one mentally,” she said.

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(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Last summer, McLaughlin started training with Bobby Kersee, who’s coached athletes in the past 11 Olympics, and alongside Felix. The 35-year-old, who’s now the most decorated track and field Olympian in U.S. history, helped McLaughlin learn to trust the timing.

“People run really fast, really early in the season, so I was a little bit nervous about where our training was at,” McLaughlin said. “And [Felix] just reminded me that Bobby knows what he’s doing. She’s seen it for so many years now, that he’ll have us ready when the moment matters, which he did.”

When McLaughlin crossed the finish line of the 400m hurdle race in Tokyo, gold medal secured, she looked almost emotionless. She hugged Muhammad, who finished just behind her to win silver, before dropping to the track and looking up to the sky.

“I was just in my head thanking God for getting me across the line,” she said. “In the moment, I was just so grateful for the opportunity to bring this gold home for not only my family but also my coach.

“This is an event that he loves and he’s never had a gold medalist. So just being able to do that for him and check this off his list, I was really excited and happy for that.”

McLaughlin knows she hasn’t achieved so much so quickly without her support system. That includes New Balance, the shoe company she signed with in 2018 right after leaving the University of Kentucky and turning professional.

“It’s just like family, honestly. I’ve worn their stuff ever since I was in high school and they’ve been so supportive and friendly from the jump,” she said. “So when it came time to truly choose the company that would be behind me on and off the track, it was honestly a no-brainer.”

McLaughlin worked with New Balance to design each piece of the new collection. In addition to leaning heavily into the theme of butterflies, she focused on her personal style.

The collection features a stylish hooded shrug, a sleek crop bra, a crossbody bag and a jumpsuit among other items, all with the intention of giving customers the option to go from a run to a night out on the town.

“I never leave the house without a fanny pack or hat, so I definitely had to make sure those things were in there,” McLaughlin said. “From there, just athletic wear that’s also comfortable and some leisure pieces. Truly looking at my own wardrobe and what represents my style and then building from there.”

McLaughlin and her team at New Balance started planning this collection about two years ago. They pushed the release back to 2021 after COVID-19 forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for last summer.

“From the first meeting to the final approval process, Syd has been so engaged in bringing this to life. Her drive on the track easily transitioned to the design of this collection,” said Rachel Walder, New Balance apparel designer. “We know this is just the beginning for Syd and we’re excited to play a part in her journey on and off the track.”

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(Courtesy of New Balance)

“I truly loved designing and making something that I can call my own,” McLaughlin said. “It’s definitely something I was looking forward to doing, and if I get the opportunity again, I will take advantage of it, for sure.”

Fashion and business might be in McLaughlin’s long-term future, but she’s not thinking about that just yet. There’s still so much left for her to accomplish on the track.

McLaughlin’s profile rises with each medal and record-setting performance. Whenever she starts to feel the weight of the expectations that come with that level of success, she thinks about what’s gotten her to this point: the journey, the evolution, the metamorphosis of a butterfly.

“For me personally, pressure is this expectation of something possibly taking place, whether it’s me losing or not placing where I want to place,” McLaughlin said. “But most of the time, these thoughts that we have end up never even really happening.

“So it’s just removing the weight, having the confidence in the positive things that I want to take place and speaking those into existence.”

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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