Taylor Ellis-Watson

Taylor Washington[2][3][4] (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.

Taylor Washington
Washington at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Birth nameTaylor Ellis-Watson
National teamUnited States
Born (1993-05-06) May 6, 1993
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight142[1] lb (64 kg)
Sport
SportTrack and Field
Event(s)400 meters
College teamArkansas
ClubAdidas
Turned pro2016
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro4×400 m relay

Early life

Taylor Ellis-Watson was born on May 6, 1993 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] Ellis-Watson began running at age 12, and she excelled in track as a high school student.[5][6] In 2011, she graduated from Springside School, which has since been renamed Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.[6]

Track and field

Ellis-Watson first attended college at the University of Pittsburgh where she was named All-Big East Conference in track.[6] After two years, she transferred from Pittsburgh to the University of Arkansas seeking the increased competition that comes at an SEC track school.[5][6] 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.[5] 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.[6]

At the 2016 Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, Ellis-Watson finished fourth in the 400 meters with a personal best time of 50.25.[5][6] 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.[5] At the Olympics, Ellis-Watson ran the second leg of the preliminary round of the 4 x 400 relay with a split of 50.81 seconds.[7] Although Ellis-Watson did not race in the finals, she won gold for being part of the winning relay team.[7]

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.[8]

Taylor Washington placed 17th in 400 meters in 52.47 at 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[9]

Personal life

As of 2016, Ellis-Watson is engaged to be married to fellow track athlete Wesley Washington.[6][10] The pair met while Ellis-Watson was a student at the University of Pittsburgh.[6]

References
  1. "Taylor Ellis-Watson". Team USA. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  2. 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)
  3. Taylor Washington All-Athletic profile
  4. Adidas Boost Boston (June 2 & 4) - Track & Field News Track and Field News Jun 3, 2017
  5. Holt, Bob (2016-08-06). "Ellis-Watson wants to show she belongs in final". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  6. Utescher, Tom (2016-07-05). "Former Springside sprinter bound for Rio". Chestnut Hill Local Philadelphia PA. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  7. Joy, Ekema-Agbaw (2016-08-20). "One Team One Dream". Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  8. Ellis-Watson To Be Honored At 2017 NCAA ConventionArkansas Razorbacks track and field December 2, 2016
  9. 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Results USATF.org
  10. "Team USA Runner Ready for Competition". 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
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