Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Shares How Now-Husband Andre Slid into Her DMs: ‘My Biggest Hype Man' (Exclusive)

It all started with a selfie for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and her husband, Andre Levrone.

The 24-year-old Olympic hurdler released her first book, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, on Tuesday, and now she's opening up about her husband's support as she prepares for the 2024 Olympics.

In the book, McLaughlin revealed how she and the former wide receiver, 28, met on social media.

“One day, I posted a selfie with the caption ‘Attention,’ a reference to a song I’d been listening to," she wrote, adding that she "wasn’t trying to get" the former athlete's, "or anyone else's," attention with the photo. "I was just being a little creative," she explained.

McLaughlin said it was just later that day at a photo shoot that she checked her phone and saw a message from Levrone that read, "You have my attention. How can I get yours?’’

The couple married at a vineyard in Virginia in May 2022. At the time, McLaughlin told PEOPLE she knew Levrone was the one just days after meeting, and Levrone said he was 100% sure by their third date.

Nearly two years later, Sydney says it's "incredible" to look back on their journey, and her husband shares that sentiment. "He was so excited and just really proud of how it came together and what this means for me being able to encourage people and share my story and how it impacts others," she says. "He's my biggest hype man for sure."

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McLaughlin says one of the major themes of he book is her tendency to expect "perfection" from herself, athletically and beyond. "I think when you're in a profession where you're fighting for gold, silver and bronze, it's always going to be an opportunity to look at yourself and want to be that perfect," she shares.

As a retired athlete, Levrone can relate. "I'm so grateful for Andre because he understands the athlete life, the day-to-day, what it takes, and all the little things," McLaughlin says. "We're very similar just in how we're wired because of that, which helps us understand each other."

Looking back, McLaughlin says she's "learned how to view my wins, my losses, everything in between as just God's plan and to take it as it comes" so that she can continue to "grow, learn and appreciate all of the in-between."

With their second wedding anniversary coming up, McLaughlin says it's "been wonderful meshing our lives together and figuring out our new normal."

But in the meantime, McLaughlin is focused on "training and trying to qualify" for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, while Levrone focuses on his studies. "He's in school right now, in seminary, so he's doing that, and I'm training, but we're still super involved in life together and just navigating our marriage."

With the Games not far away, McLaughlin is looking to her faith. "Whatever the Lord has for me, I just want to do it to the best of my ability and hopefully represent Team USA well."