Coachman, Alice
1923-2014 · Contribution: 1948
High jumper
First Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1923, Albany, Georgia
- Active since
- 1939
- Category
- Sports & Athletics
- Best known for
- First Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal
Impact on the world
Coachman broke through as the first Black woman anywhere to win Olympic gold, proving what Black women athletes could achieve despite being denied training and competition for much of her prime.
An alternative history
What Would the World Look Like Without It?
One contribution. Many possible consequences. No single-person origin story.
Imagine this selected contribution absent, not the person or the entire field. The areas below are reflection prompts related to this discipline, not verified chains of direct dependency.
Sources
- Source lookupFind
USA Track & Field
Exact source links open the cited record. Source lookups help locate legacy references whose original records did not include a direct URL.
2 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Rudolph, Wilma
1940-1994
First American woman to win three track and field gold medals in a single Olympics
Griffith Joyner, Florence
1959-1998
Set world records in the 100m and 200m that still stand, while becoming a global style icon known as 'Flo-Jo'
Joyner-Kersee, Jackie
1962-
Widely considered one of the greatest multi-event track and field athletes in history
Felix, Allyson
1985-
Most decorated track and field athlete in U.S. Olympic history