Rudolph Wilma

Rudolph, Wilma Glodean born: June 23, 1940, Clarksville, Tenn. died: Nov. 12, 1994, Brentwood, Tenn.

A world-class sprinter who overcame a sickly childhood to reach Olympics glory winning 3 Gold medals (1960-Rome) and 1 Bronze medal (1956-Australia).

As a child Rudolph overcame scarlet fever, double pneumonia, and the temporary paralysis of her left leg, wore a leg brace and then an orthopedic shoe until she discarded the shoe to play basketball, her first love. In high school, her basketball coach dubbed the lanky, 1.85 m (6 ft) scoring machine (she had 803 points in 25 games as a junior) "Skeeter" because, he said, "You're little, you're fast and you always get in my way." She attended Tennessee State University from 1957 to 1961. In 1956, weighing less than 46 kg (100 lb), she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 m relay at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. For the 1960 Olympics she bulked up to 59 kg (130 lb). She went on to become the first American woman to capture three track-and-field gold medals at a single Olympics when in the 1960 Olympics in Rome she won the 100 m dash (tying the world record of 11.3 s in a semifinal race) and the 200-m dash, and she anchored the triumphant U.S. 4 x 100 m relay team (which set a world record of 44.4 s in a semifinal race). After retiring as a runner, Rudolph established a foundation for underprivileged children; served as a goodwill ambassador to French West Africa; coached briefly at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.; and held various corporate business positions. In 1977 her inspirational autobiography, Wilma, was published and made into a television movie. Rudolph, who was Amateur Athletic Union 100-yd dash champion from 1959 to 1962, was inducted into the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974.

References

"Rudolph, Wilma Glodean." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan. 2005 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9115568>.