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Molly Seidel Wins Olympic Bronze Medal Running in Her 3rd Marathon Ever

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIAugust 7, 2021

Molly Seidel, of the United States, celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Sapporo, Japan (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama

Molly Seidel's third-ever marathon ended with her winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

#TokyoOlympics @NBCOlympics

The face you make when you win an Olympic bronze medal IN YOUR THIRD MARATHON EVER.<a href="https://twitter.com/ByGollyMolly12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ByGollyMolly12</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TokyoOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TokyoOlympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/ir0tv3fW5G">pic.twitter.com/ir0tv3fW5G</a>

The 27-year-old American long-distance runner finished third in the women's marathon with a time of 2:27:46.

Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir (2:27:20) and Brigid Kosgei (2:27:36) took first and second, respectively.

#TokyoOlympics @NBCOlympics

The women's marathon medalists of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TokyoOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TokyoOlympics</a>!<br><br>πŸ₯‡ Peres Jepchirchir πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ<br>πŸ₯ˆ Brigid Kosgei πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ<br>πŸ₯‰ Molly Seidel πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ <a href="https://t.co/4PlFqWpZd3">pic.twitter.com/4PlFqWpZd3</a>

Seidel is a decorated long-distance runner who dominated during her time at Notre Dame, winning the 2015 NCAA Division I cross-country championship.

She was also the champion in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races at the 2016 NCAA Division I indoor track-and-field championships.

Seidel has since represented Team USA in numerous international competitions. Her first-ever marathon occurred at the U.S. Olympic trials in February 2020, when she took second.

Seidel's second marathon was in London, where she finished sixth in the field in October 2020.