Historical Spotlight: Wilma Rudolph

Known for being an Olympic gold medalist in sprinting, Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee, on June 23, 1940. The 20th of her father's 22 children, Rudolph was sickly as a child and wasn't expected to walk again after contracting polio. However, she overcame this setback by wearing leg braces and doing physical and massage therapy until she was 11 years old. In high school, Rudolph played basketball, setting state records, and began sprinting. She was noticed by the Tennessee State University women's track coach with whom she trained during summer vacations. At age 16, Rudolph helped her three teammates win bronze in the 400-meter relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Four years, she became more famous after winning the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter relay at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. This made her the first American woman to win three gold medals at one Olympic. After retiring from sprinting in 1963, Rudolph completed her elementary education degree. She then taught at an elementary school and coached track and field at her high school while being a mother of four. She published her autobiography Wilma in 1977 and established the Wilma Rudolph Foundation among other endeavors. On this day 24 years ago, Rudolph died of a brain tumor at home in Brentwood, Tennessee. To learn more about this woman who didn't let disability slow her down, go to https://www.notablebiographies.com/Ro-Sc/Rudolph-Wilma.html.

Wilma Rudolph winning a race

(image via Wikimedia Commons)