American long-distance runner and Olympic Bronze Medalist (she rounded out the podium, in a third-place finish at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo), Molly Seidel wants to empower girls and young women to embark on a lifetime of success, no matter their chosen vocation.
“I want young women to know that you can work hard and enjoy yourself,” Ms Seidel said.
“There have been certain ideas of what it takes to be successful in this sport, and I think sometimes people equate that with you have to be serious, you have to be straight-faced.
“And I want to challenge that and say that I think to win you should be enjoying the hell out of what you do,” she said.
In a “She Moves Us” video conversation for sports company, PUMA, Ms Seidel spoke about the sacrifices and challenges of being a female elite runner.
“I’ve had to challenge male standards in my sport in the sense that there are very certain ideas about body image that have been prevalent in running for a long time, in a male-dominated sport,” she said.
“And I think as American female distance running takes over, we’ve shown that you don’t have to be anyone kind of body type to succeed. That you can have success being whoever you are.”
“She Moves Us” wants to empower girls and young women through sharing stories and joint efforts to impact their rights globally.
It is inspired by global pop star and PUMA Ambassador Dua Lipa who said: “Sharing stories of success is all part of changing the narrative, especially in fields like sports and entertainment that have tended to amplify the accomplishments of men. Women are already nailing it across the board and celebrating their achievements is exciting and empowering. It also encourages those rising up to aim for the stars.”
For more on PUMA’s “She Moves Us” platform, visit: about.puma.com/en/this-is-puma/brand-campaign/she-moves-us
