Newark Episcopalian Molly Reckford to compete in rowing final at 2024 Paris Games

By Shireen Korkzan on July 31, 2024

Two-time Olympian Molly Reckford, right, and her rowing partner, Michelle Sechser, left, will compete in the lightweight women's double sculls final at the 2024 Paris Games on Aug. 2, 2024. Photo: USRowing/Facebook

[Episcopal News Service] Two-time Olympian Molly Reckford and her rowing partner, Michelle Sechser, have advanced to the lightweight women's double sculls final at the 2024 Paris Games.

Reckford and Sechser finished third in their semifinal heat, behind New Zealand and two-time defending world champion Great Britain.

"We went into the race with the right attitude today," Reckford said in an interview with the United States Rowing Association. "It was a dogfight out there. This is the sort of race where people go crazy out there and pull out moves that you've never seen before, but we stayed calm and trusted each other and when I said, 'go,' Michelle went. Love that."

Reckford, 31, and her siblings were baptized at Christ Church in Short Hills, in the Diocese of Newark, and she still calls it her home church.

"The community at Christ Church in Short Hills is very close with my family, and they are really our extended family in a lot of ways," she told Episcopal News Service in a July 18 telephone interview. "Christ Church has always been a big part of my life."

Reckford's father, Sam Reckford, is the Diocese of Newark's chief financial officer. Her grandfather, Bill Spencer, was also a two-time Olympian, competing in the men's biathlon at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Games.

Reckford also competed in Tokyo in 2021 in the 2020 Olympic Games, which were delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will, however, be Reckford's final Olympics, because the International Olympic Committee eliminated the lightweight rowing categories for future games.

Reckford and Sechser are scheduled to compete in the final on Friday, Aug. 2. The final will be aired live on local NBC channels and livestreamed on Peacock with a premium subscription.

— Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service based in northern Indiana. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.