Dunellen native, Sydney McLaughlin was named to Time Magazine’s “2021 TIME100 Next” list, an expansion of the flagship TIME100 franchise recognizing 100 emerging leaders it considers to be shaping the future of entertainment, health, politics, sports, business and more. Other honorees include singer Dua Lipa, comedian Amber Ruffin, and Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, as well as noted scientists fighting COVID-19 and activists addressing today’s cultural issues. Many of the issue’s profiles were written by celebrity guest contributors who have seen the growth of the future leaders they were writing about. McLaughlin’s was written by track and field legend Allison Felix whom McLaughlin first met four years ago before her first Olympics and Felix’s fourth. The special issue is available on newstands and online now. Continue Reading →
Sports
Recent Articles
Track Phenom Sydney McLaughlin has gone pro
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Sports Business Daily has reported that Dunellen’s most famous track and field athlete Sydney McLaughlin has signed with talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME). The agency not only represents Hollywood actors and bestselling authors, but also represents professional athlete including McLaughlin’s idol, six-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix. After her appearance at the NCAA Championships in June, McLaughlin announced that she would be ending her college eligibility status after just one year, foregoing her final three years of eligibility at the University of Kentucky. She was scheduled to make her professional debut a few weeks later at the U.S. Track and Field Championships but did not, due to tightness in her hamstrings. McLaughlin, who turns 19 on Aug. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Dunellen, Sports
County’s Skate Rink Opens for 14th Season
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Middlesex County’s Roosevelt Park Family Ice Skating Rink opened for its 14th season. The rink is located at the Level Playing Fields Complex inside the County’s Roosevelt Park, which is adjacent to Menlo Park Mall in Edison. The rink is open Wednesday through Friday: 5:00 to 9:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday: Session 1: 12:30 to 2:30pm, Session 2: 3:00 to 5:00pm, Session 3: 6:30 to 8:30pm. The rink is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Per-session admission is $6 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and children 17 and under. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Middlesex County, Sports
Sydney McLaughlin Receives Additional Honors
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Dunellen athlete Sydney McLaughlin has added two more awards to her list of recognitions. The USA Track & Field Association (USATF) named the Olympian and world junior record holder Youth Athlete of the Year. She will be honored, along with eight-time 2016 WMA gold medalist Irene Obera who was chosen to be Masters Athlete of the Year, on Saturday, December 3, at the Jesse Owens Awards in Orlando, Florida. “This has been the most incredible year of my life,” McLaughlin told USATF. “I couldn’t have achieved what I did this year without the constant support and guidance of my parents, my brother, and my coach and teammates. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Dunellen, Sports, sydney mclaughlin
Sydney McLaughlin named T&FN High School Athlete of the Year
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Dunellen resident, Sydney McLaughlin was recently named 2016 Track & Field News (TFN) High School Girls Athlete of the Year. According to TFN, she was chosen by a national panel of prep experts. Her third-place finish in the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Trials is a World Junior Record. She also broke other records in 2016 and was named Gatorade Athlete of the Year earlier this year. The Union Catholic High School senior ran away with the win, receiving 31 votes more than Vashti Cunningham, who was her roommate at the Rio Olympics. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Dunellen, Sports
Dunellen Olympian Sydney McLaughlin Honored by Hometown
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Dunellen’s first Olympian Sydney McLaughlin was honored in a ceremony held at Columbia Park this past Saturday. McLaughlin started this year’s track season with some stumbles (her and her mother’s health issues) but finished with the kind of success that usually does not come to a track athlete at such a young age. The rising-senior at Union Catholic High School broke her own World Youth Best and World Junior Record time when she competed at July’s US Olympic Trials in the 400m Hurdles, won the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships in the 400m Hurdles, and won two events at the New Balance High School National Championships (400m Hurdles and Swedish medley relay). Awards that she collected included Gatorade Athlete of the Year, NJ.com’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year, and USATF Athlete of the Week. It was what happened earlier this month that truly made it a season to remember: McLaughlin, as the youngest US track and field team in over four decades, made it to the 400m Hurdles semifinals at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Sports
Olympian Sydney McLaughlin Comes Home to Dunellen
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Dunellen will salute hometown Olympian Sydney McLaughlin on Saturday morning during a “celebration ceremony” to welcome the 17-year-old hurdler home from Rio. Residents are encouraged to arrive at Columbia Park by 10:30 a.m. on Saturday wearing red, white and blue. The ceremony for McLaughlin will include an award presentation by Mayor Bob Seader. McLaughlin, a Dunellen resident, is the youngest track and field Olympian for Team USA since 1972. And on August 15 and 16, her hometown cheered her on as she competed in Rio, 5000 miles away. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Sports, olympics, sydney mclaughlin
McLaughlin wins Silver in World U20 Men’s 400m Hurdles
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Dunellen resident Taylor McLaughlin won the silver medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in the Men’s 400m Hurdles with a new personal best time of 49.45. He placed right behind Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica (49.03) who was considered according to IAAF reports to be the overwhelming favorite going into the competition. Hyde has previously won the gold in the same category in 2014 and will be participating in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A rising sophomore at the University of Michigan, McLaughlin was invited to the international competition because he won the 2016 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships in the Men’s 400m Hurdles in June. This was the last race for him this season. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Sports
Taylor McLaughlin Makes World U20 Semifinals
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Dunellen resident Taylor McLaughlin finished second in his heat at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, right behind the runner with the fastest time overall, Kefilwe Mogawane of the Republic of South Africa. McLaughlin’s finishing position allowed him to advance to the semifinals. He finished fourth overall. McLaughlin will be running in the semifinals’ third heat on July 22. His personal best time of 49.73 makes him as third fastest runner in the heat. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Sports, hurdles, world u20 championships
McLaughlin Going to Rio, Breaks World Record
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Dunellen’s Sydney McLaughlin is going to the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 16-year-old, who will be a senior at Union Catholic High School this fall, placed third in the Olympic Trials’ 400m hurdles finals, securing the last of the three available spots. The other two spots went to Dalilah Muhammad who had the fastest times in both previous runs, and Ashley Spencer. Not only did her time of time of 54.15 give McLaughlin a plane ticket to Rio, it also broke the World Junior (U20) record of 54.40 Wang Xing of China set in 2005. According to statements made to USA Track & Field, McLaughlin did not think that making the Olympics was a possibility until recently. Continue Reading →