Taylor Washington[2][3] (née Ellis-Watson) is an American track and field athlete. She was a member of the winning relay team for the United States Olympic team in the women's 4 × 400 meter relay for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
![]() Washington at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Birth name | Taylor Ellis-Watson | ||||||||||||||
National team | United States | ||||||||||||||
Born | Philadelphia, U.S. | May 6, 1993||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||
Weight | 142[1] lb (64 kg; 10 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and Field | ||||||||||||||
Event | 400 meters | ||||||||||||||
College team | Arkansas | ||||||||||||||
Club | Adidas | ||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
Retired | 2018 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editTaylor Ellis-Watson was born on May 6, 1993, in Philadelphia.[1] Ellis-Watson began running at age 12, and she excelled in track as a high school student.[4][5] In 2011, she graduated from Springside School, which has since been renamed Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.[5]
Track and field
editEllis-Watson first attended college at the University of Pittsburgh where she was named All-Big East Conference in track.[5] After two years, she transferred from Pittsburgh to the University of Arkansas seeking the increased competition that comes at an SEC track school.[4][5] In November 2013 and December 2014, Ellis-Watson had surgery on her left foot to repair a stress fracture. Ellis-Watson was an 11-time All-American at Arkansas and was part of the school's 2015 indoor track and 2016 outdoor track national championship teams.[4] Although she graduated from college 2015, Ellis-Watson began working towards her post-graduate degree in counseling and continuing to compete in the NCAA through 2016.[5]
At the 2016 Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, Ellis-Watson finished fourth in the 400 meters with a personal best time of 50.25.[4][5] She missed qualifying for the individual 400 meter .08 of a second. The result was still good enough to earn Ellis-Watson a spot on the U.S. 4 x 400 women's relay team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[4] At the Olympics, Ellis-Watson ran the second leg of the preliminary round of the 4 × 400 relay with a split of 50.81 seconds.[6] Although Ellis-Watson did not race in the finals, she won gold for being part of the winning relay team.[6]
Former Arkansas women's track and field team captain Taylor Washington (née: Ellis-Watson) was honored at the 2017 NCAA Convention which was held January 18–21, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.[7]
Taylor Washington placed 17th in 400 meters in 52.47 at 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[8]
Personal life
editAs of 2016, Ellis-Watson is engaged to be married to fellow track athlete Wesley Washington.[5][9] The pair met while Ellis-Watson was a student at the University of Pittsburgh.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Taylor Ellis-Watson". Team USA. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ U.S. Track Athletes Win 3 Events On First Day Of Boost Boston Games Team USA KAREN PRICE JUNE 02, 2017, 11:07 P.M. (ET)
- ^ Adidas Boost Boston (June 2 & 4) - Track & Field News Track and Field News Jun 3, 2017
- ^ a b c d e Holt, Bob (2016-08-06). "Ellis-Watson wants to show she belongs in final". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Utescher, Tom (2016-07-05). "Former Springside sprinter bound for Rio". Chestnut Hill Local Philadelphia PA. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ a b Joy, Ekema-Agbaw (2016-08-20). "One Team One Dream". Retrieved 2016-08-22.
- ^ Ellis-Watson To Be Honored At 2017 NCAA ConventionArkansas Razorbacks track and field December 2, 2016
- ^ 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Results USATF.org
- ^ "Team USA Runner Ready for Competition". 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
External links
edit- Taylor Ellis-Watson on All-Athletics.com
- Taylor Washington at World Athletics
- Taylor Ellis-Watson roster on Arkansas Razorbacks
- Taylor Ellis-Watson – Arkansas Razorbacks profile at TFRRS
- 2013 Taylor Ellis-Watson roster on Pittsburgh Panthers
- Taylor Ellis-Watson – Pittsburgh Panthers profile at TFRRS
- Taylor Washington|Ellis-Watson on Instagram