Sydney McLaughlin’s Father Willie Mclaughlin: What Is He Doing In 2022?

Willie Mclaughlin is a renowned name in the sports world who participated in the 1984 Olympics Trial. Although he has currently retired from his sports career, he is currently recognized as the father of popular American Olympic athlete Sydney McLaughlin.

While Sydney has earned a massive name as a sprinter and hurdler, Willie’s life has remained slightly away from the spotlight despite his contribution to the sports. In fact, he has also been a big source of inspiration to his daughter who credits all her achievements to her athlet father. So, how is the father-daughter relationship at present? What is he currently doing in 2022?

Well, we have got answers to all your queries. Stick with us to find out more about Willie Mclaughlin including his personal life, professional career, net worth, and many more!

Willie McLaughlin’s Early Life and Family

Willie McLaughlin was born on February 13, 1963, in Dunellen, New Jersey to his father Willie McLaughlin  Sr, and his mother Kate McLaughlin. He belongs to the American-African ethnicity and his zodiac sign is Aquarius.

Talking further about his family, he was raised along with his two other siblings named Claudette McLaughlin and Russel McLaughlin. Well, all three siblings shared a great relationship, however, they have barely made any public appearances together.

Education

The famous athlete first completed his schooling at a local school in his hometown New Jersey. Later, he joined the East Orange High School where he completed his high school.

After that, he attended Manhattan College for his higher education. He also revealed that he was interested in sports from his school days which is why he used to actively participate in school events.

Willie McLaughlin Was a Well-Known Athlete

As aforementioned, Willie was always interested in sports from his early days. He disclosed that he started participating in running competitions in his high school. During his college, he was a member of the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame. He started running in tracks and worked hard for his sports career and became a professional American Runner.

Later, in his running career, he even made several records in track running. In 1984, his hard work finally paid him off when he was selected as a semi-finalist in the 400m at U.S. Olympic Trials.

He Married Sportswoman-Wife Marry McLaughlin

Willie McLaughlin married his wife Marry McLaughlin. As per the reports, the couple know each other since their school days and dated each other for more than five years. After that, the couple decided to take their relationship to next level. However, unfortunately, the duo has kept most part of their wedding details away from the media reach.

Talking about Wilie’s wife Marry, she was raised in Springfield. She started her schooling at Cardinal O’Hara High School and later joined Manhattan College. Marry was also highly interested in sports from her school days. She used to run in 400m to 800m tracks.

How Did Willie McLaughlin First Met His Wife?

As mentioned above, the duo were college sweethearts and met each other for the first time in their college. The couple got closer when Marry joined the boy’s sports team as there was no girl team in the college.

Talking about the first meeting, Willie’s long-time partner Marry said,

“O’Hara didn’t have a girl’s team when I was there. I was doing summer track before I ever got to O’Hara, so it was just a natural thing for me to run on the boy’s team.”

She further said,

“I think the year before I got there, there were a couple of girls on the team, so I wasn’t the first.”

Willie was impressed by Marry when she became the manager of the men’s team. He felt that Marry was very different from the rest of the girls and that’s when he felt the spark. After that, the rest is history.

Are They Still Together?

Many people assume that Willie and Marry might have parted their ways as they aren’t seen together quite often. However, the assumptions and rumors about their separation are completely false. Although the duo is not quite active on their social and doesn’t appear much in front of the media, they are still together in their happy marital relationship.

Willie McLaughlin and Marry Are Parents To Their Four Kids

The husband and wife are the proud parents of four kids. They have two sons Ryan Mclaughlin and Morgan Mclaughlin, and two daughters, Taylor Mclaughlin and Sydney Mclaughlin.

Willie and Marry created a pressure-free environment for their kids and were very supportive of their careers. All their kids have successfully established themselves in their sports careers. Their daughter Sydney is one of the famous Olympian athletes. Furthermore, his son is also an athlete who won a silver medal in the IAAF World U20 Championship in 400m hurdles. He is also a Mechanical Engineering.

Willie Mclaughlin’s Daughter Sydney Followed Her Parent’s Footsteps

Sydney followed in her parent’s footsteps and became a professional athlete. She was inspired by both of her parents and was able to be a sprinter. Sydney McLaughlin was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on August 7, 1999. She was only 15 years old when she became the 2015 World Youth champion.

From a very young age, she trained herself to be a successful athlete. Sydney is now an American hurdler and sprinter who is specialized in 400-meter hurdles. Furthermore, she is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion and 2022 World Champion with a record of 50.68 seconds, in the 400 m hurdles.  His other children are also runners who have been participating in their college.

Willie Had a Major Heart Surgery

Sydney McLaughlin’s father Willie had a heart problem by birth named hypertrophic cardiopathy. Despite having a major health issue, he never lost his hope of becoming an athlete. Although the disease did not become a huge problem for him in his early days, his condition started getting worse when he started to age.

Despite using all the medications and treatments given by the doctors, his condition did not improve. He finally had to transplant his heart. At that time his daughter was in Tokyo for one of her most important games. Willie was worried that she will not be able to perform well because of his reason. He said,

“The waiting for the heart is a little stressful, but after the transplant, my wife sent videos of me walking around the hospital the very next day.”

He further added,

“And they were like, ‘Oh. He’ll be okay.’ They quickly got me in and out, and before you know it, I was driving again, mowing the lawn, everything.” and further added, “The only thing I can’t do is go to Tokyo,”

On February 2021, he finally received a new heart. His operation was successful but he will have to take medications for a lifetime.

Is Willie Mclaughlin Still Alive? If yes, What is He Doing as of 2022?

Willie has won the battle of his life and currently living happily after his heart transplant. He is currently retired from his sports career and living in New York with his family. He often appears on media while supporting his daughter during her games.

What Is Willie Mclaughlin’s Net Worth?

Willie Mclaughlin has been able to amass a good amount of fortune throughout his life. He has an estimated net worth of $3 million. He was able to gather this good amount of fortune from his career as a sprinter.

On the other hand, his famous daughter Sydney has a net worth of $2 million, as of 2022.