In 2004, Molly Seidel wrote, "I wish I will make it into the Olympics and win a gold medal" for a fourth grade assignment on her biggest hopes and dreams in life. On Saturday morning in Tokyo, Seidel became just the third American woman in history to medal in the Olympic marathon as she took bronze in 2:27:46 behind Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei.
Seidel was competing in just her third career marathon. In February, she made her marathon debut with a runner-up finish at the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials in Atlanta with cold and windy conditions.