 Molly Ludlow in 2015 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1987-08-04)August 4, 1987 (age 38) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
Event | 800 meters |
| College team | Indiana Hoosiers |
| Coached by | Ron Helmer |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | 800 m: 1:57.68 (2016) |
Medal record | |
| Updated on August 14, 2015 | |
Molly Beckwith-Ludlow (bornMolly Elizabeth Beckwith on August 4, 1987) is an Americanmiddle-distance runner.
Molly Beckwith was born on August 4, 1987, inWorthington, Ohio.[1] She attendedThomas Worthington High School, setting school records in the200 meters and400 meters as afreshman; in hersophomore andjunior years she concentrated onsoccer, dropping track and field.[2] She returned to the track in hersenior year, but soccer remained her main sport, and after graduating from high school she went toIndiana University on a soccerscholarship.[2]
She played soccer through her freshman year at Indiana, but knee problems, which she had already suffered from in high school, forced her to drop soccer and give up her scholarship; track was not a problem for her knees, so she joined theIndiana Hoosiers' track and field team in her sophomore year, now running the400 meters and800 meters, and earned a new scholarship through that sport. The 800 meters soon became her main event, and she developed steadily.[2][3] At the2010 NCAA championships she placed second toPhoebe Wright in a personal best 2:02.14.[4]
Later that summer, she broke two minutes for the first time, running 1:59.83 inLignano; sponsored by the shoe companySaucony, she turned professional.[3] She continued to train under her coach at Indiana, Ron Helmer.[5]
In 2011, her first full year as a professional, she improved her personal best to 1:59.12 (again in Lignano) and placed seventh at theUnited States championships.[4] In 2012, she placed second behindFantu Magiso at theAdidas Grand Prix, running 1:59.18.[4] She narrowly missed qualifying for the2012 Summer Olympics; at theOlympic Trials she was in the top three until the end, but tied up and fell to fourth place with meters to go.[3][5] She skipped the 2013 season to recover from her knee problems; she married Reed Ludlow, a formerDivision II collegiate basketball player, that fall.[5] She returned to the track in 2014, placing third at the United States championships; she finished in the top six in four Diamond League meetings, breaking two minutes in bothLausanne andMonaco.[4]Track & Field News ranked her #10 in the world that year, her first top 10 world ranking.[3][6]
In 2015 Ludlow won gold with the American team in the4 × 800 m relay at theWorld Relays; the team's winning time, 8:00.62, was a newAmerican record.[5] She placed fourth at the United States championships in 2:00.09, missing qualifying for theWorld Championships inBeijing by 0.04 seconds.[7] The following week she improved her personal best to 1:58.68 at theParis Diamond League meeting, where she also placed fourth.[4] AfterAjee' Wilson withdrew from the World Championships due to an injury, Ludlow was named as her replacement.[8]
In July 2016, Ludlow competed in the Olympic trials, running 1:59.59 and again placing 4th by 0.04 seconds. One week later, she set a personal best of 1:57.68 in Monaco, becoming the seventh fastest US woman at that distance.[9]
