Rudolph, Wilma

Impact on the world

Overcame childhood polio that doctors said would leave her unable to walk, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics at the 1960 Rome Games, in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, earning the nickname 'The Tornado' and inspiring generations of athletes including Florence Griffith-Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Life & background

Born prematurely as the 20th of 22 children, Rudolph survived double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio as a young child, the latter leaving her needing a leg brace that doctors said meant she would never walk normally. Training under coach Ed Temple at Tennessee State, she won a bronze medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics before becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics at Rome in 1960, setting world records along the way. She later founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to support youth athletics and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in its first group of inductees in 1983.

Sources

1. Olympics.com (IOC); Encyclopædia Britannica; Team USA (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame)